The Delinquents
by wedontkilltheliving
Summary: {A man was kneeling in front of a young man no older than sixteen who had a crossbow to his temple. A young woman no older than fifteen stood off to the side playing with the tip of her machete and looking bored. The cops looked on as the pair locked eyes with one another as they gazed upon the scene before the in front of them.} Eventual CarlxOC, Rated M for language. *SPOILERS*
1. Let Her Go Ya Assholes

**A/N This is my second fanfiction and I am as always open to any constructive criticism. I do not own The Walking Dead, any of its characters or its plot. I only own my OCs. **

**Thanks and as always, read, review, follow and favorite! **

**By the way, Hayden looks like a younger Kate Mara and Sean looks like Jake Abel. **

**And a special thank you to x XRoweenaJAugustineX x for letting me know you didn't understand the first few paragraphs, I hadn't known I had had a problem. **

"Rick, why are we even looking for her? We both know Sophia's-" Shane was ranting as he and Rick walked through the dense woods. He merely paused when his former partner raised his hand but when Shane didn't hear anything he continued. "Rick, it is not that that I blame you its just-"

At this Rick put his finger to his lips and gestured forward with his other hand.

"Please, just let me go! I won't ever bother you or anything, just please don't kill me!" A male voice was pleading though at the end his speech was impaired by a sob.

"Shuddup." Another voice barked and the sound of flesh hitting flesh reached the former officers' ears. Glancing at each other, Shane and Rick proceeded cautiously forward, stalking through the undergrowth. Through the trees, they could see a man on his knees facing them and two shapes facing the man. One shape was tall and lean with short hair and a crossbow in its hand while the other had long wavy hair and was average height but was very thin.

"Please just let me-" The man's cries were silenced when the first shape raised its crossbow and shot a bolt directly into the man's head. The smaller shape snorted and stepped into the sunlight to pull the bolt from the man's head. Shane and Rick noted that the shape was a girl with big brown eyes and auburn hair.

"Ah think we oughta head back home and see if Daddy and Uncle-" The girl drawled as she went back to where she had been standing, but the other raised their hand.

"Hayden, we can't." He murmured softly and after exchanging a look with Rick, Shane launched himself onto the girl, forcing the machete from her grip and wrapping his arms around her as Rick emerged with a pair of handcuffs.

"LET HER GO YA ASSHOLES!" The young man exploded and raised his crossbow at Shane and in response Rick placed the gun to the back of the writhing girl's head.

"Do it Sean." She ordered him. "Stop bein' such a pussy and take the damn shot. Ya know what Daddy would say if he saw ya hesitatin'? Rip ya a new one that's what Daddy would do."

"Shuddup!" Shane snarled and walked over to the young man. "C'mon lets be peaceful about this."

The young man, Sean lowered his crossbow and Shane cuffed him with his cuffs. Rick put their weapons in a bag, even finding the hidden knives in their boots before he began to march them back to the farm.

After twenty minutes of walking they walked into the farm where everyone ran over. "Rick who are these people?" Lori asked.

"Dunno, found 'em executing people in the woods." Shane spoke up.

"We wasn't ex-" The girl, Hayden started to say but Shane kicked her in the back of the knees effectively knocking her to the ground.

"Shut up nobody asked you." He snarled in her ear as he pulled her out of the dirt roughly. Carl found himself staring at the girl and her brother. She was beautiful even though she was covered in blood and dirt. But she was a bad person he reminded himself.

"Take them to the shed." Rick ordered and T-Dog helped Shane take them to the decrepit shed in the corner of the property. Once they were out of earshot Rick spoke again. "They killed a man, and she laughed."

The two were chained to opposite walls in the shed and T-Dog kept watch until Daryl returned and listened to their conversation.

"Ya shoulda shot tha damn fucker bafore he coulda taken us back here Sean! Daddy always said ya were a fuckin' pussy, ah guess he was right." The girl was saying.

"Shuddup Hayden ya dumb bitch! Dad isn't here now is he? Nah he 'n his brutha lit out first chance those fuckers got." Was the snapped reply.

"Don't ya dare talk ill of our family Sean!" The girl barked angrily.

"Or what'll ya do to me Hayden?" Sean taunted and the girl began to fling herself against her restraints. "Hit me? Ah'd like ta see ya try."

Shane entered with Rick not long after and saw the two bickering among themselves quite loudly. They stopped when the two men walked in and they sat up straighter and locked their gazes on the former cops.

"Where's your group?" Rick asked loudly but the said nothing.

"We ain't got one." The boy replied.

"I am going to ask you one last time, where's your group?" He shouted but gained the same response.

Rick shook his head, sighed and walked out of the shed leaving Shane alone with them as he kneeled down in front of Sean.

"Now where's your group?" He murmured but they each stared ahead, their faces stoic. Full of anger at not being answered as well as plain anger against Rick, Shane pounded his fist into the restrained young man's jaw. The girl whimpered slightly before looking away.

Twenty minutes later Sean was reduced to a pulp of bruises and blood. The girl, Hayden, had been screaming his name ever since Shane had left but she gained no response. "SEAN! Ya wake up ya hear me! SEAN DIXON WAKE THE FUCK UP!"

T-Dog had been tired of her screams and was daydreaming. He hadn't heard a word of her screams.


	2. Hayden? Sean?

**A/N I only own my OCs and not the Walking Dead. Please R&R because reviews and favorites=fuel **

**And I've adjusted the age of Carl to 14.**

Daryl had heard that Shane and Rick had found some kids in the woods and he ignored the feminine screams he heard from the shed. He turned his other ear and just went to bed, exhausted from his searching for Sophia.

In the morning he went looking for Sophia and pushed the thought of the kids in the shed as he saw Shane going in there. He didn't think about it again until he was a good half mile into the woods and heard a single long scream followed by silence.

* * *

Hayden had been thinking of ways out but she thought of nothing, these dicks had thought of everything. Sighing she heard the door open and the bald man come inside. There was something off about him, the look he got in his eyes while he beat her brother was dangerous. She had seen it before, in the world before this.

Shane knelt down beside Sean and picked his chin up. The sixteen year old looked at him through swollen eyes and a bloody nose. "Ya wanna tell me where your group is?"

"Listen ta me ya limp dick, we ain't got a group! Just 'cause ya get an erection beatin' the shit outta mah brotha doesn't mean that ya kin-" Hayden had been saying when Shane pulled out a knife and dug it into the flesh of her thigh. A scream ripped through her mouth as she felt the white hot pain in her thigh.

Leering at her, Shane covered her mouth with his hand but she bit it and he slapped her. When she pulled her head back to facing forward he placed his palm on her forehead and smashed her head backwards into the wall numerous times until her head fell slightly forward.

Daryl entered the area about ten minutes after he heard the scream and Shane could be heard inside. Walking in, Daryl went to tell him that he had found Sophia's doll in the ravine as a cover for the fact that he wanted to see what was going on. What he saw shocked him. Two kids no older than sixteen were shackled to the walls, blood dripping from various wounds. The boy's face was drenched in sweat and he was screaming at Shane as he beat the girl unconscious. The girl. She looked so much like, no Hayden was dead. Hayden was **dead**. Sean was **dead**. He was imagining that they looked like his family.

"Uncle Daryl?" The girl murmured before her head slumped forward and she didn't move except for her faint breathing.

"Daryl?" Sean muttered and realized he must be imagining his uncle swathed in the sunlight of the open door.

"Sean? Hayden!" He came out of his initial shock and grabbed Shane and shoved him up against the wall and began to pummel him with his fists. "Ya stay away from mah family!"

Rick burst in a moment later and was shocked at the state the two kids were in but even more by the fact that Shane was getting the shit knocked out of him by Daryl.

"YA STAY 'WAY FROM US!" He was barking with every punch. Finally the redneck ran over to the two kids and unchained them. The young man massaged his wrists for a second before stumbling over to the girl who Daryl had picked up and was carrying out of the shed. Rick tried to stop him before the man spoke. "Merle's kids, only ones he eva cared for."

Sean was kicking at Shane and the two were fighting. In both their weak states, Rick was surprised at how the kid was slowly getting the upper hand. He was a good fifty pounds smaller and in a worse shape but he had rage on his side. If he was Merle's kid then he must've been a bruiser as well.

Daryl carried his niece to the house but literally everyone tried to stop him. Carl paused beside his mother seeing the pretty girl from yesterday covered in blood and unconscious. Herschel took the girl in immediately and Daryl wouldn't stop pacing around outside the room.

No one understood why the prisoners had been let out, or why _Daryl_ even cared. They heard the girl screaming, begging for her father through an open window and Carol saw Daryl rubbing his temples.

"Daryl?" She called quietly. He glanced up, saw it was her, and kept pacing knowing she didn't know anything about his niece's state. "Who are these kids?"

"Merle's." Was all he said as he remembered Sean and walked outside to see him stumbling towards the house with T-Dog coming slowly behind him looking very confused.

The group was extremely tense and everyone looked high strung. Sean was running as quickly as he could but it was more of a shambling walk. His face was bleeding still and he finally made it to stairs of the house Daryl pulled him up and into the house. They walked immediately to Hayden's room, any conversation could wait.

She was awake now and had her leg bandaged along with one that wrapped around her head since it was bleeding through the smiled when she saw Daryl and tried to get up but Herschel pushed her down gently.

"You need to stay in bed, rest your leg Hayden." He told her and she rolled her eyes before getting up and holding onto Daryl's arm.

They had made it outside and sweat glistened her face but she gritted her teeth as she looked around. The entire group was crowding around the porch yelling for answers but they paused when they saw Sean's damaged face, and the girl limping with bandages over her forehead and thigh with a bruise welling on her cheekbone. And Daryl watching over them a look of anger and betrayal etched into his face.

"Uncle Daryl? Where is mah daddy?" Hayden asked and looked around the camp. Everyone stared at the ground as Daryl explained and her face got red.

"YA FUCKIN' LEFT HIM THERE?" She shrieked her face turning red as she attempted to stalk forward but hissed when she placed pressure on her injured leg.

Sean grabbed one of his bags that had been taken from them and left on the porch and opening it up pulled out a picture. It was off Hayden standing next to Merle and Sean beside Daryl, each of them flipping the camera off. Daryl and Hayden wore smirks as they smoked cigarettes and Merle and Sean were laughing. They were in a bar and each of them appeared to be having the best time. Sean handed it to Rick who stared at it.

"If y'all had just gone through our shit!" He yelled. Rick stared at it. In the photo Hayden couldn't have been older than Carl and she was smoking in a bar and flipping people off.

Once the tense situation had been slightly averted and the three of them were sitting at a fire as Rick looked around for something.

"Hayden." Daryl barked and the girl stood up grinning. Limping over to Rick she reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out a clip from Rick's gun, Shane's 22 necklace, and Lori's wedding ring. Carl stared at her, she had barely even been around Lori and she hadn't even noticed it was missing.

"'S been awhile Uncle Daryl, ah don't wanna get rusty!" She explained and she sat down beside her brother. She glanced over at Rick. "So ya were a cop?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Ya must've sucked. 'Sides cops 'r pussies." She stated offhandedly as she fiddled with the bandage on her leg.

When everyone was going to bed, the three heard T-Dog say something to Rick.

"She's just like her dad." He muttered but her ears caught it.

"Ah don't have tha clap though!" She called over to them and each looked horrified.

Hayden slept on Daryl's cot because of her leg while the other two slept on the ground.

"Daryl?" Sean asked through the darkness and all he received was a grunt.

"Where'd ya guys go? Hayden 'n me, we went ta the house but y'all were gone. Why didn't ya wait fer us or come lookin' fer us?"

"We did Sean, when y'all were goin' ta our house, we were going ta yers." Daryl murmured. He didn't want to tell them that he had to force Merle to leave Hayden's mother's house after they found her eaten in the living room with a screwdriver in her temple.

"Ah miss Daddy." Hayden murmured as she rolled over. It broke Daryl's heart but at least he knew that his brother loved his daughter and that her blind loyalty in him was not in vain. He couldn't say the same about her brother though, who Merle thought was a pussy and if it wasn't for the eyes wouldn't have considered him even his. The kid had a goddamn even temper! No Dixons had even tempers. The only trait Sean had picked up from Merle was his ability to somehow charm women.

"Ah'm sure yer dad is missin' ya too, Hayden. He's a tough son of a bitch yer daddy is, no one can kill Merle but Merle. Give 'im a hammer, he'd shit out nails." Daryl closed his eyes, it was going to be brutal with the two kids around but they were better than Merle. Well Hayden and Merle were terrible together, always betting each other stuff and pick pocketing people at the bar.

Only one bad thing ever came out of Hayden, the fact that she was the spitting image of Mrs. Mary Dixon, Daryl and Merle's mother. The long auburn hair, the dark brown eyes with long black eyelashes, the thin waist and small frame. But she was the opposite of her grandmother. Hayden had a quick temper and she fought at every chance she got.

She was her father's daughter precisely apart from the racism. She didn't understand why her father always targeting the Africans and the Hispanics but she kept that to herself to stay in her father's favor.


	3. Ah Never Begged Ya! Never!

Jimmy had come to give her pain meds that she gruffly took before limping over to her brother who was cleaning his crossbow as Daryl cleaned his own.

"We're out soon Hayden." He told her as he stood up but she looked at him in confusion.

"Huntin'?" She asked.

"Nah they lost a lil' girl a couple days ago, Sean 'n me 'r gonna go lookin'."

But the girl just looked more confused. "Why ya gotta go lookin' Fer her? Ain't she got a weapon ta protect 'erself? Who let 'er outta their sight if she didn't? How do ya lose someone? Like we lost Daddy?"

Everyone looked to the ground when Lori spoke. "I don't want my child to e running around with a gun. It's dangerous."

"No it's dangerous not to have a weapon, and yer right don't have a gun but at least a damn knife." At that the girl pulled out Merle's old pocket knife and held it in her palm. She stared at it for a moment before clutching it tightly, the last thing she had of her fathers and forced the tears into her head. 'Cause Dixons don't cry and damn it she was a Dixon in every way.

"What if my son doesn't know how to use it properly?"

"Uh ya train 'em." She rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Not mah problem. If ya ask me, y'all had this comin'. Ya left mah dad on a roof ta die! Y'all had this comin' ta ya!" Somehow her words stuck in Rick's mind. The worst member of the group goes missing because of you and then the sweetest member of the group goes missing because of you.

The young girl stalked off to her tent and Threw herself inside. She wanted to hear her dads harsh laugh, to smell the familiarness of er father as he sat on the motorcycle with her. She just wanted her dad.

Later that day they were doing for target practice so grinning Hayden joined them to see how bad they were.

Rick wanted to see her shoot and watched as the girl picked up Shane's shotgun, raised it and fired off a single shot, made slight adjustments and in quick succession she shot off five bullets, each one hitting a target. She's been born with this drilled into her head.

Hayden was allowed to wander about a give tips so she chuckled when she saw Jimmy trying to use one had and hold it sideways.

She told him to stop being such an idiot and how to hold his feet. He was with Beth he reminded himself as she kicked his feet closer together and leaned over him to adjust his position on the gun. She smelled like the forest and pine needles.

He shot two bullets and each hit their target and the girl grinned before walking away.

Carl tried not to feel angry when he saw Hayden helping Jimmy with his stance and laughing. But Jimmy had Beth and she was just helping him out.

A single walker was attracted to the sound and as everyone else went to kill it with their guns the girl lit up and ran over to it before smashing her machete into its head over and over.

When she stood up she had a sick grin plastered to her face and Shane was floored when he realized how alike her father the girl was. Merle Dixon had gotten that look on his face whenever he killed anything.

"'Nd that's how ya kill a walker." She bowed slightly smirked and began to sprint up to the farm. The small dot in the distance didn't stop running until she knew she was good and out of sight. She always liked a good show.

**Twd Twd Twd**

Hayden walked into her small camp and immediately noticed her family wasn't there. She saw the Asian man, Glenn, climbing on top of the RV so with nothing to do she followed him and climbed up.

He glanced over at her for a second curiously before looking across the field.

"It was impressive." He said after a while.

"What's that?"

"When you killed that walker back there." She laughed humorously and smirked.

"Like mah daddy, ah always appreciate a good show." She stated and suddenly seemed to remember something as Jimmy and Beth walked across the lawn. Hayden pulled a small hair bow and a work glove from her flannel shirt pocket and jumped down the ladder. Glenn scoffed as he watched her hand each of them something before returning.

"That was impressive." Glenn stated.

"What's that? Stealing shit? 'S easy 'n ah don't wanna get rusty. 'Sides when ah find mah daddy he's gonna want me ta start doin' it again. He's the one who taught me. Sean was always with Daryl, learnin' how ta use a crossbow and ah was with mah daddy learning how ta hustle, pick locks, pick pockets, and lie. Ah love mah daddy." She spoke more to herself than Glenn who realized just how much faith she had in her father. He was always a jerk to everyone at camp, including his own brother.

"I remember once at camp we were all talking about people we missed and your dad and Daryl got up as soon as someone mentioned a kid and walked away. Always figured it was because the conversation was boring and sad but i guess it was because he was mourning you and your brother."

"No not mah brotha. That would be Daryl's job ta mourn fer Sean. Mah daddy didn't like Sean much, said he was a pussy which ah must agree with him on that. Daryl likes Sean more than me and Merle likes me more than Sean. It's rather simple." She said it offhandedly but Glenn couldn't get over the act that she spoke so easily of how her uncle liked her brother more than her. It was a fact he supposed.

When Daryl and Sean returned she didn't look all that relived just nodded at her brother as he walked by. She noticed Beth biting her lip slightly as he walked by and burst out laughing. Glenn looked concerned as she fell onto the roof of the RV and rolled around in pleasant laughter.

Everyone paused why they were doing to stare at her as she rolled around and finally at up and wiped her eyes from slight tears from laughing. Those kinds were okay darlin' Merle had told her so she didn't feel ashamed as she slid down the ladder.

"Oh dear motherfucker." She sighed and wiped her eyes.

"If Merle had seen that-" Daryl scoffed as f he could see his brothers grinning face.

"He prolly would've fallen down." Hayden answered with a smirk.

"Or been high as a kite." Sean murmured but soon his sister was sitting on top of him, his crossbow lying in the grass and a knife pressing into his forehead.

"Don't ya ever talk about him like that ya son of a bitch!" Daryl grabbed her arms and pulled her off her brother who regarded her lazily as he grabbed his crossbow.

That evening when Hayden was sorting through her fathers motorcycle bags a she always did she saw a blue do-rag Pulling it out she saw a hand, her fathers hand all decaying and nasty.

She stared at it for a moment before Rick saw what she was looking at. She was gazing at it stoically and the group was having Herschel and his family for 'dinner' at the camp fire so she couldn't blow up.

Suddenly she pushed the hand away and got up. She saw an ax lying on the ground for cutting wood and he grabbed it and in front of the Greenes, repeatedly whacked it into the tree until she fell down and stared at the tree.

Then she started yelling. Sean and Daryl were afraid she would start doing it again, yelling at the sky when she was mad. And here she was, yelling once again.

"I've never begged ya! Ah've never begged ya 'nd ah ain't gonna start now. So ya just give me mah daddy back ya hear me? Give him back!" it was quite alarming for everyone to see her screaming and screaming for the sky to give Merle back to her. It had hit her like a ton of bricks and Glenn told them at it was her and Merle and Sean and Daryl. With each adult having an obvious favorite.

And Hayden had been Merle's. He taught her everything he knew in her fourteen years of living. Her first word had been Merle quickly followed by fuck.

When she was done yelling she stalked over to the RV completely ignoring the people who were eating and climbed up and was met with Andrea's face.

"Evening." The older woman sate as te other glanced out at the fields.

"Yeah ah guess." The girl murmured as she raised her rifle and scanned the tree line with it.


	4. Mr Grimes, Mr Walsh, Mr Dixon

"How about you chop up some wood?" Rick offered as he ran a hand through his sweaty hair.

"Ah ain't nobody's bitch. Do it yerself." She looked disgusted. Carl was watching the altercation from a log he was sitting on. Hayden had gotten up, wiped the dirt on her hands on her jeans before getting to toe to toe with the larger man.

Hayden was a good five foot five but Rick was five ten and hulled over her. But she had a look of determination in her eyes as they spoke.

"I wasn't saying you were. You like to smoke right? Bad habit you know-"

"Thanks mom." She said sarcastically.

"I will give you a pack if you don't steal anything today and you chop wood for us today." Rick bargained and the girl nodded slowly before grabbing her ax and walking over to where there were bundles of logs waiting to be chopped.

He watched as the muscles beneath her skin rippled with every step she took, her thin shoulder blades popping out of the back of her tank top. Hayden's auburn hair went down to her shoulder blades and her eyes were chocolate brown. But nothing about her was sweet or innocent, he'll quite the opposite. She wore a hard look most of the time and Te only time she looked peaceful was when she worked.

After about an hour of chopping, Hayden was done and stacked the logs on top of each other before returning to the Dixon tent.

Carl watched her go longingly, wishing he had something to say to her. But she had come from a different world than him, one full of hardships and pain while he enjoyed his innocence and clung onto it desperately. There was nothing really to talk about or anything to do with her. Lori would have a fit if she even saw him holding an ax let alone chopping wood.

When he looked over at Hayden again she was staring at something in a blue do-rag. Her gaze never faltered as she stared at it, she was barely even blinking.

Carl pointed it out to his dad who strode quickly over to her and told her something. She put the do-rag back inside the bag and smiled when Rick handed her a cigarette. Lighting it slowly she walked through the camp slowly, gazing around.

"What was in the do-rag?" Carl heard himself ask and her head snap up.

"Mah daddy's hand. Uncle Daryl kept it ah guess." She sat down across from him and continued to smoke. "Ah don't really know what ta do with it, so it'll just stay there ah guess."

"I'm sorry." Carl told her and looked down. She narrowed her eyes.

"Fer what?"

"For what happened to your dad. I mean it wasn't my fault or anything but it's just that I thought my dad was dead once but hes okay."

"Thanks but mah daddy ain't dead." She remained seated though as she pulled out her machete and peered at it. "If Sean's alive mah daddy's _thrivin_'."

"So you were always Merle's favorite?" Carl asked after a few minutes.

"Yeah, ah guess but Daryl always liked Sean better."

"You don't look alike for siblings."

"We're half siblings, different mothers, but Merle's still our dad." She explained. "Sean's ma was a hooker who couldn't pay fer an abortion, talk about a cheap bitch. She left him on Merle's doorstep after he was born. 'nd mah ma was a waitress, she didn't believe in an abortion. But sex is okay ah guess. Ah don't know, she was a stupid bitch."

"I'm an only child." Carl stated quietly.

"That sucks, ah would've died of boredom without bein' able ta fight with Sean." She stood up and cracked her back before abruptly walking away and climbing onto the roof of the RV.

He sighed as he watched her go before turning back to what he had been doing, cutting up ruined t-shirts for scraps.

He watched as Hayden talked to Glenn and laughed loudly as she handed him something that was his.

Carl watched as she made fun of Jimmy and Beth on the porch of the house while Herschel was getting new bandages for her leg out. The injury Shane had inflicted. They had never figured out why they had killed that man in the woods but each time they spoke of it, the siblings eyes were down turned and they refused to speak for the rest of the meal.

After her leg had been redressed the girl walked back over to the camp and cleaned her gun as she sat across from Carl.

"I was shot you know." That got her attention an she looked up quickly.

"When?"

"A week ago maybe." He shrugged but she got up and ran over to her uncle as he walked into camp with a few squirrels.

That evening they ate squirrel stew and Hayden didn't scream at the sky which was good.

All throughout dinner he kept glancing at her until his mother noticed and pursed her lips at him as Shane grinned and elbowed him. But Carl was mad at Shane for beating two kids his age up.

After dinner, Carol asked who was going to be checking on the highway the next day. At the thought of being away from everyone, Hayden said she'd go.

"But you would need someone to drive." Rick frowned.

Laughing Hayden shook her head. "Nah, Ah'll take mah daddy's bike, be back in twenty minutes."

The adults glanced at each other so she elaborated. "Mah daddy taught me how ta ride his bike."

"Hayden was the only person he ever let ride that damn thing." Sean muttered but everyone heard it.

"Ya were too busy with cross country and track to learn any of the good stuff." She grinned as he shook his head.

"My Sophia won't recognize you if you go." Carol pointed out.

"I'll go." Carl volunteered. He wanted to help look for Sophia and since he had been shot, there was nothing else he could do.

"No!" Lori cried.

"Mom, I'll be safe and back in twenty minutes if that."

"I wouldn't feel safe with that." Lori stated. No one seemed to notice the frightened look in Hayden's eyes. She would be taking the motorcycle and that would mean someone sitting behind her. "We still don't know why they killed that man."

Hayden stared at the fire in front of them not blinking. "He found me, tried to steal from us, and the damn guy was bit too. What good that food would have done him, shoulda ended it by himself when he had the chance. Fuckin' pussy."

After that everyone shifted uncomfortably but the girl remained staring at the fire.

"I still don't feel safe with this." Lori stated. Shaking her head, Hayden got up and walked over to Andrea who was on watch.

But sure enough, the next morning Hayden saw Carl waiting near the bike. Eating a couple bites of leftovers, Hayden stood awkwardly as Carl said goodbye to his parents.

She put the key in the ignition and climbed on as Carl awkwardly did after her. Scoffing at how uncomfortable he was, Hayden closed her eyes as she listened to the motorcycle roar before starting down the driveway.

Carl placed his hands around her as she rode, and was surprised at how he was met with pure muscle, no fat. She weaved expertly through the cars and to where the sign was.

There was no sign that the food had been tampered with but Hayden glanced around the scene. It had been beyond awkward with Carl on the bike with her, but she sucked it up and gazed around the highway.

Suddenly there was a high pitched yell from the woods and Hayden ordered Carl to stay put as she sprinted into the woods following the echo of the yell. She made it to where a young girl in a rainbow shirt was trying to climb a tree to get away from an obese walker with a suit and tie on.

When the auburn haired girl with the machete saved Sophia, she was floored. The girl looked to be her age, but somehow older, her eyes looked harder, her stance was that of a known fighter. She was wearing a black tank top, dark jeans, and black boots. Her eyes bored into Sophia's as she looked over her for bites.

"Ya got a name girl?" She asked with a thick accent.

"Uh Sophia." She stammered and the girl scoffed as she re-sheathed her machete.

"Ya got a group Sophia?"

"Yeah, oh! Please can you take me to them?"

"They got names?"

"Mr. Grimes, Mr. Walsh, Mr. Dixon-"

"Come with me." Hayden abruptly turned and walked away, making Sophia run to catch up with her.

"What's your name?"

"Fuck off." She muttered as she walked through the trees. She would have to leave Carl, return to camp with Sophia, and then return for Carl. What was she a damn chauffeur?

"Have you seen my mom?" Sophia asked quietly.

"Maybe ah have, maybe ah haven't." She answered as she walked up the median and Carl came running towards her. At the sight of Sophia he yelled loudly.

"Shuudup ya idjit! Ya wanna attract every walker in the area here?" Hayden snarled as she ordered the girl to sit behind her. "Carl, ah'll be back in five minutes tops. Ya stay in one of the cars, ya hear me? If ya don't, ah'll kick ya in the balls so hard they'll go into yer throat."

"Why do you have Mr. Dixon's bike?" Sophia asked softly.

"'Cause ah do. Come on, let's go already." The two girls roared down the highway towards the Greene's house. Everyone stared and screamed when they saw Sophia.

"Where is my baby?" Lori cried but Hayden had already turned the motorcycle around and was working on pulling it back down the driveway.

"Ah'm workin' on it bitch." She snapped and took off returning a moment later with Carl.

She went over and sat on top of the RV by herself as everyone else got situated. Carol, Carl and Sophia were in the RV beneath her and she heard every word they were saying.

"Who's the girl?' Sophia inquired.

"Daryl's niece, Merle's daughter. She's got a brother too."

"She's kinda scary like Mr. Dixon."

"Merle or Daryl?"

"Merle." Sophia shuddered. "I don't think I like her."

"She saved your life Sophia!" Carl cried out and got up and stormed from the RV, his back facing Hayden who was wearing a shit eating grin. She was under everyone's skin already.

**A/N In case you are wondering what Hayden looks like, she looks like a younger version of Kate Mara when she played 'Hayden' in American Horror Story. **

**Reviews and follows=fuel ;)**


	5. Who Is This New Gir l

Sean and Daryl were skinning squirrels when Hayden emerged from their tent yawning. The first thing she did was place a cigarette between her lips and rubbed her temple.

"Ya alright?" Sean asked glancing over at his sister. He hadn't seen her like that in a long time, exhausted from thinking. Yes thinking. She would stay up all night thinking about something. "Who were ya thinkin' 'bout?"

"Daddy." She stated. Sean knew it had been hard for her to hear the joyous sounds of mother and daughter once again. When she had gone to get Carl, her face was angry and she wanted to punch someone.

"We'll find 'im." He assured her and patted her back.

"Ah know." She stated as though it was the most obvious thing ever.

"What's the first thing yer gonna say ta him?" Sean asked.

"Hows yer clap treatin' ya?" It had always been a joke among the Dixons at the fact that Merle got the clap on occasion. They never knew why it was so funny to them. The clap. "And he'll ask me how mah pussy of a brotha is doin'."

"Nah, he'll ask about Daryl first."

"Prolly."

"'Nd he'll call ya baby face and the world will be right again." he mocked.

"Just 'cause he doesn't have a nickname fer ya don't me ya have ta make fun a mine." She scowled.

"Ah thought ah was 'balless pussy'? What now ah can't even have that?" The two burst into peels of laughter at Merle's name for his eldest.

Snickering, Hayden walked over to the fire and was going to grab a bowl of beans and rabbit when Carol hugged her.

Everyone watched as the girls eyes got wide before narrowing and she shoved the woman off, hard.

"Get away from me bitch!" She spat and stalked away off to the RV. She like being lookout, it was fun to sit and think.

It was Dale's turn and he smiled when he saw the girl climb up. He liked her, she was hot headed and wild but she was fun to be around. She had a nice cigarette between her lips and she raised her eyebrows as she sat on the edge of the roof.

"She was trying to be nice." Dale spoke quietly.

"Ah don't like it when people touch me." Hayden snarled.

"Why?"

"Never really got used to bein' hugged by anyone." She stated and gazed across the fields.

It was Andrea's turn to watch and Hayden swung her legs in the air as she finished her smoke. In disappointment she flicked it onto the gravel.

That was when Carl and Sophia entered the RV.

"So this new girl? What happened? Why does she limp?" Sophia was asking which got Hayden's attention.

"Hayden and Sean were found killing a man in the woods, Shane and my dad brought them here and Shane beat Sean up pretty badly and dug a knife into Hayden's thigh." Carl explained. "I think it's badass."

"Carl don't swear!" Sophia giggled softly making Hayden roll her eyes. "Why did they kill that man?"

"He was stealing from them and he was bit."

"But kill him? How can you be that cold?"

"She wasn't so cold that she didn't save you." Carl barked and there was silence.

"So she's Mr. Dixon's daughter?"

"Yeah, she's looking for him."

"Why would you want to look for him? He was always so mean and rude, almost as bad as my dad!"

"Yeah well she has a good relationship with him." Carl stated as he glanced around for something to do. He had thought his friend was more interesting than this, just sitting around and talking about others.

"I love being back here I was so scared before." Carl only nodded, bored out of his mind.

Hayden laughed softly to herself as she climbed down the ladder. The others were bored, and she wanted something fun to do.

"Yo Sean!" She yelled across the camp, making everyone come out of their tents. The girl was quite entertaining. "Wanna race?"

"Ah don't wanna beat ya at this." He stated with a smug grin but she shook her head.

"That mean yer chicken?" She taunted loudly and smirking.

"Gimme all ya got baby face."

"And ya ta me balless pussy." She replied and they laughed.

The two of them sprinted forwards all at once, Sean with the immediate advantage but she chased a foot behind him.

They sped into the camp, their chests heaving after ten minutes of sprinting around in the field. Everyone clapped to Sean who bowed slightly.

"Time fer somethin' yer good at." Sean stated and glanced around locking his eyes on the house. "Breakin' 'n enterin'."

"Mah favorite!" She grinned at her brother before sauntering over to the house after pulling a small black bag from the inside of her boot.

Kneeling down in front of the door, Sean told Dale to use his watch to see how fast he went.

A minute later, the door popped open and Sean shook his head. "Best ah can do."

Grinning smugly, Hayden knelt down in front of it. Her eyebrows furrowed and she narrowed her eyes.

Ten seconds later the door swung open and she bowed slightly as everyone clapped.

"'Nd one to meet in the middle." Daryl stated as he walked up with a line full of squirrel.

The siblings smiled at each other, shook their heads and walked off in opposite directions. Hayden patted Dale's back and thanked him for helping them with the time as her hand slipped into the pocket of his pants and pulled out the watch in question before slipping it into her pocket.

Smiling, Hayden walked away, slipping the watch into a small bag of hers. Then she went into Herschel's house and swiped his red trucks car keys from his shirt pocket. She told him that she needed her wound cleaned and the stitches removed.

In twenty minutes she had swiped Herschel's car keys, a ring of Beth's, Jimmy's work glove, and Lori's wedding ring.

Them Rick came with a walker on an animal control harness and all hell broke lose. Fights broke out but sure enough, Shane opened the door to the barn and walkers gushed out.

Carl and Sophia watched in horror as everyone raised their guns and shot at the bodies. Sean shot off a bullet from his hunting rifle, Hayden her shotgun, and everyone else blasted the bodies. When there was just a single walker who wandered slightly to the side, Hayden grabbed her machete and slammed it into the once man's head repeatedly.

When she stood again, blood covered her chest and there was a grin on her face that reminded everyone of Merle.

As the Greene family screamed and cried, the Dixons walked right past them to their tent leaving the others to figure it out.

The three of them promptly began to skin the squirrels that they had gotten, putting guts into a bucket, meat in a bowl, and fur and skin in another to be used for other things.

After Hayden smoked a cigarette and leaned against the tree as everyone filtered back into camp.

The Grimes' walked swiftly to their tent, the Peletiers hurried to the RV, Dale and Andrea went above to watch, T-Dog looked guilty and Shane looked pissed still.

"Hayden, let up on the smokes would ya?" Sean ordered as he sat beside her.

"'Fraid it'll ruin mah lungs? We don't really have long anyways." She told him quietly.

They each emptied their bags of others belongings, Hayden winning by one thing. But it was sad now and they each put their things back into their bags and waited for people to notice they were missing it.

Herschel was sitting in his red truck and gazing around looking lost. Hayden felt better that she had taken the keys, the old man looked unhinged. Hayden pointed it out to Rick who helped Herschel inside.

**A/N How was this chapter? Let me know! I thought that the whole Randall thing was kinda boring so I'm going to be skipping that part. **

**Reviews, favorites, and follows=Fuel**


	6. Torn Out From Under Me

**A/N Sorry it took so long but I had a big exam to study for. Disclaimer: I do not own the Walking Dead, only my OCs. Thanks:)**

It had been two days since the massacre at the barn. Shane was often seen yelling at Rick about his bad decisions and how they should make Herschel let them stay. Carl hung out with Sophia looking extremely bored at all times which made Hayden laugh from across the camp, Sean and Daryl went out hunting all day to get food, and everyone else just began to settle into farm life.

Hayden and Sean didn't compete again despite the fact that the others wanted them to. But they were used to having Merle throwing beer cans at them as they ran around, or the smell of venison cooking in the background. In truth it reminded Hayden of her dad. And besides he didn't even like these people so why should she help them feel better?

As the days went on, Hayden found herself hating Sophia and Beth. They depended so much on the men in their lives she found it disgusting. They were weak with barely any air in their heads and they giggled. They fucking giggled. Hayden was sure she had never made that sound once in her life and she didn't plan on ever uttering that disgusting sound. The sound of the girls her father brought home. It made her sick hearing it now.

"Hayden?" Came T-Dog's unsure voice. The girl had been sitting with her back against a tree, her expression going from carefree, to slightly hardened, to a look of pure hatred mixed with nausea.

"Yeah?" She stood up and brushed the dirt from her jeans.

"You alright, you look...upset." He paused looking for the best word.

"Ah'm fine." She replied curtly and nodded slightly. "Ah just gotta go chop up the wood."

Carl watched as she abruptly got up, grabbed her ax and headed into the woods. Glancing around, Carl saw Sophia sitting her mom and no one looking at him. So he got up and followed her.

He sat in the shadows as she chopped up pieces of wood from a fallen log and loaded them into a small wheelbarrow. She looked pissed with every chop she made and after a while she threw the ax into a tree and began to snarl as she pulled it out and chucked it into the dirt before sitting down in the dirt. Hayden began to rock back and forth, her eyes wide and wild as she did, holding her knees to her chest.

Carl, frightened, backed away from her and sprinted back to camp, relieved that no one had realized he was gone.

When Hayden returned she looked calm as she handed Glenn the barrow. It was unnerving as she walked over to her tent.

Rick and Shane left to go check the perimeter as darkness fell and the others prepared for bed. When a gunshot rang out everyone exited their tents and stared towards the field where it had come from. Shapes were running, sprinting, towards them as Lori yelled if anyone had seen Carl.

"GET YER SHIT, LET'S GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE!" Sean yelled when he saw the walkers coming over the hill. Hayden grabbed her shotgun and the ax she was now using along with her machete.

"DARYL! LET'S GO!" She yelled as the walkers reached the area. Everyone split up into cars to go shooting the walkers. Hayden jumped into the Hyundai with Glenn and Maggie and they began to shoot the walkers as Glenn drove.

But the walkers were too many and Glenn made the decision to leave for the safety of the two girls with him.

"GLENN! What about Daryl? What about Sean?" Hayden cried out but she bit her lip to keep from crying.

"My dad, Beth! What about them?" Maggie whimpered.

"I need to get you two out of there!" Glenn shouted and the car stopped. "If we're it then we need to be safe."

"Where are ya goin'?" Hayden asked as Glenn began to drive slowly away.

"The highway." He told her before wiping a tear from his eye.

When they pulled up, all they saw was Carl, Rick, and Herschel, nobody else. Daryl pulled up on Merle's motorcycle with Carol behind him who was sobbing.

"Carol, where's Sophia?" Carl asked when she climbed off.

"Torn out from under me." She sobbed as she walked over to one of the cars.

"Sean?' She asked slowly and all she got was a slight shake of the head and she felt her knees buckle from under her. She was sitting on her heels in the middle of the road her lip quivering and loud sobs coming from her mouth. She would cry now since it was different. Sean was **dead**. Her brother was dead. Her companion for almost three months was gone and she hadn't even seen him before it happened.

More people came but Hayden never moved, her eyes open but unseeing, her ears not comprehending anything.

**A/N Hey there, okay so I kinda want to keep Jimmy alive, maybe he's changed because of this incident, maybe slightly unhinged. I don't really know yet so please let me know about whether or not you think this is a good idea.**


	7. Just Keep On Movin'

It had been an hour since Hayden had found out her brother was dead. Gone in an instant of agonizing pain. She had been done crying for some time now and was sitting on top of an abandoned truck's cab staring at the seemingly endless ocean of cars.

_"Sean, ah got us some dinner." Hayden sat down beside her brother in the attic of the house they were staying at. Dust rose slightly when she sat down but then sank back down to the wood. Hayden handed Sean a can of minestrone soup which he dug into greedily. Food had been scarce where they were staying and they couldn't risk a fire. _

_"Hey Hayden?" He asked as he suppressed her cough. He had a damn cold. And it was going to give them away. _

_"Yeah?" _

_"If ah die, please promise me that ya'll not mourn me. Just keep on movin', its what ah want ya ta do iffen ah die Sean. Promise me that ya'll not shut yerself off 'n that ya'll just keep lookin' fer Uncle Daryl 'n Daddy. Promise me that lil' sister." He glanced over to where she was chewing on the inside of her cheek. _

_"Don't ye eva say that big brotha. Ya'll get better, 's a damn cold not malaria." She stated after a moment of thinking. _

_"No, Hayden, ah don't mean now, ah mean later. Iffen ah eva die, ya have ta promise me that ya'll not mourn fer me. Keep livin' for the two of us, ya hear me Hayden? 'N ya kill as many of these sons of whores as ya can, that'll be yer way ta mourn. Promise me that." _

_"Ah promise Sean." She sighed as she placed her soup can down and laid her back on the hard wooden planks of the attic. "Let's move on in the mornin' Sean." _

Hayden wiped the stray tear from her cheek and leapt down onto the pavement. She took in the stock of those who remained; Herschel, Maggie, Beth, Jimmy, Carl, Lori, Rick, Carol, Daryl, T-Dog, and Glenn were it. Dale, Sophia, Sean, Andrea and Patricia. All dead and gone.

Carol and Lori were huddled against one of the cars with Carl crying beside his mom. Rick, T-Dog, and Daryl were discussing something. The Greenes had their arms around one another with Glenn squished with them. Jimmy sat alone with his back resting on the front of a minivan, glancing over to Beth every few moments.

Sighing, Hayden saw a walker coming slowly towards them. _'N ya kill as many of these sons of whores as ya can, that'll be yer way ta mourn. _His voice came into her mind and she grabbed her machete. Running forward she slammed it into the things head as hard as she could repeatedly, its black blood squirting all over her face and coating her chest.

Another neared and Jimmy grabbed a knife that had been Otis' and he got the bastard in the eye. Hayden looked up from her kill and nodded in understanding towards Jimmy who just bit his lip.

The two walked back to the group where Hayden suddenly stopped. "Jimmy, its not yer fault." She had known something was plaguing him ever since they had left the farm.

"I pulled Beth away from Patricia. I pulled her away and she was dying. Patricia was dying!" He whimpered but Hayden put her hand on his shoulder awkwardly.

"She'll thank ya someday Jimmy. Ya prolly saved 'er life, pullin' 'er away like that. Once yer bit, yer dead. No sympathy fer the dead in this world. Now ah didn't know Patricia but ah know she would be thankin' ya fer gettin' Beth safe. That's gotta mean somethin' ta ya." She told him, patted his shoulder lightly and they piled into the cars.

Hayden and Daryl on the motorcycle, Carol, Jimmy and the Grimes in the Hyundai and the Greene's plus Glenn and T-Dog in the truck. They drove for a good while until almost everyone was out of gas. Everyone huddled in the center of a crumbled building, T-Dog perched on top of one of the walls watching for walkers. The Greene's and the Grimes' families were sitting rather close together, Glenn cuddling Maggie, Lori holding a crying Carl and rubbing Carol's shoulder. Rick stood beside Daryl discussing something, Hayden sat alone, Jimmy a little ways away from her.

Hayden shivered a bit and Jimmy scooted closer to her and shared her blanket with her which got him a smile. Carl tried not to feel anger boiling inside of him at the sight of them sitting so close together, what was Jimmy thinking? He had Beth after all.

But in reality, Beth had been ignoring Jimmy since the farm. When he tried to comfort her, she would sob and run into her sister's arms instead of his. She didn't want him anymore, she had made that blatantly obvious.

Rick was going on about something but Hayden was thinking about her brother.

_"Sean!" She yelled as she ran up the steps to the small rundown house of the Dixons. "SEAN!" _

_He burst out of the house, only wearing a sleeveless button up but it was unbuttoned. "What is it girl?"_

_"Cops are here, fer Daddy!" She panicked and threw open the door and sprinted inside. "He ain't 'ere is he?" _

_"Nah, he's at tha bar with Jim." Her brother stated pointedly and she nodded anxiously as the cruiser pulled up to their house. Two male officers exited and asked to know where their father was. _

_"At tha bar with Jim." Sean stated. _

_"Jim got a last name?"_

_"Neva met someone who didn't, ah just don't know it." Hayden sassed but the men just blew their air out and drove away. "Where really was Daddy?"_

_"Gettin' high." He stated and walked back inside slamming the screen door after him. Hayden smiled, she knew how her brother had only done that for her._

"If your staying this isn't a democracy anymore." Rick barked making Hayden's blood run cold for a moment. But no one made a sound and Hayden was falling asleep the excitement of the day wearing down on her.

When Carl woke up later he literally growled, getting Daryl's attention since he was on watch. Hayden had her head resting on Jimmy's shoulder and he had wrapped his arm around her. What was wrong with Jimmy? He could do that to Beth for all he cared but Hayden? He, Carl, liked Hayden.


	8. The Kiss

**Rika24- Thank you so much I had not considered having Sean being with Andrea, and yes I like the Hayden/Carl as well but for moment it is going to be sort of Hayden/Jimmy.**

Hayden awoke and pushed herself away from Jimmy, wiping her dripping nose on the back of her hand. Daryl nodded to her solemnly and turned back to where he was on watch. The girl pulled her jacket closer to her and stood up slowly already dreading the day. No food, no water, no shelter, no **Sean**.

"Hayden?" Daryl sounded concerned but the girl just leaned against one of the crumbling walls. A stray walker came by and he raised his crossbow but the girl was already upon it, whacking its head as hard as she could with the machete.

"Ah'm fine." She muttered as she stood beside him again. "We oughta move on eh?"

"When ev'rybody wakes up." She nodded slightly and chewed on her thumb. Behind them everyone was waking up, yawning and stretching. Jimmy saw the girl with her uncle, his girlfriend avoiding him and talking to Carl. He was alone. Jimmy was surrounded by people but he was alone.

When they prepared to leave, the Greene's ignored the elephant in the room-Jimmy. Everyone had been watching how the teenager was ignored in his time of need and the Greenes hadn't even acknowledged the poor kid. So in the end, Jimmy rode with Carol and the Grimes', Hayden with Daryl on the motorcycle, the Greene's in the truck and T-Dog and Glenn in the beat up blue truck.

That evening they reached a house and Maggie, Glenn, Daryl, T-Dog and Hayden cleaned it out of six walkers. They ate a few cans of food and prepared for sleep lying on the cold ground. T-Dog and Glenn were on watch so they saw as everyone branched out in their sleep. Herschel held Beth and Maggie, Daryl lay in the corner beside Hayden, Lori and Rick held Carl. And Jimmy laid a few feet from Hayden but they shared a blanket. When Rick and Maggie took over watch they noticed that Hayden was only a few inches from Jimmy, lying scrunched up beside him sharing the blanket.

In the morning like she had the last morning, Hayden pulled away from Jimmy and wandered over to her uncle. It went on like that for a few weeks, the group coming across a house, clearing it out and then sleeping in it for a night or two. Jimmy never spoke to Beth, he tried but she ignored him, remembering how he had pulled her away from Patricia. Until Jimmy couldn't take not knowing.

"Beth?" He tried to be quiet but the whole group heard him. They tried to ignore it and pretend to be doing something but they heard anyway. "If you don't want to go out with me anymore just tell me."

"Jimmy, I am so sorry. But I can't do this anymore." She cried and looked away from him guiltily.

"'S alright." He got up and wandered away trying to come up with things to do to keep his mind off of it.

"She's just a girl." Hayden muttered when she handed him a can of food. "Just a damn girl."

When everyone was eating Jimmy watched as Beth laughed quietly at something Carl had said until he couldn't take it anymore.

Hayden was sitting there across the room glaring at Beth. Didn't that little bitch know she had broken Jimmy's heart just that morning? It wasn't that she cared it was just a mean thing to do to someone. Jimmy noticed the glare the auburn haired girl was sending the blonde and put his can of food down. He stood slowly and crossed the room as Hayden got up to put her can of beans away from the group so it wouldn't be in the way. He stopped Hayden and when she looked up at him with confusion in her eyes he kissed her.

**A/N I know I know I'm mean but how is it? How should Hayden respond to Jimmy kissing her? What about Carl? Or Daryl? Leave me a review :)**


	9. That's Mah Girl

Hayden tensed the second Jimmy kissed him before shoving him away from her and punching him in the face.

"What the fuck?" She spat and wiped he mouth with the back of her hand rigorously.

Daryl grabbed Jimmy by the scruff of his neck and dragged the teenager away from his niece into one of the rooms.

"What the hell was that? Ya tryin' get all over mah niece? What the hell ah oughta gut ya here 'n now jackass!" He bellowed and smacked Jimmy around. "She's only fourteen ya asshole!"

"Okay okay okay I'm sorry!" Jimmy cried as he put his hands over his face. Hayden appeared in the doorway looking pissed as she told her uncle that Rick wanted to talk to Jimmy first. When Daryl reluctantly walked away Hayden glared over her shoulder at Jimmy and disappeared back into the corner she had been sitting in.

Sure she was pissed but that was perhaps the nicest thing anyone outside of her family had done for her even though it was insanely inappropriate. But before all of this Hayden had never had a boy tell her he liked her or that she was pretty, she didn't have many friends, never interacted with anyone her own age. She was in juvie for a lot of the school year and when she wasn't Hayden was failing almost every class.

Plus it didn't help that Merle was the towns bruiser and had connections everywhere, when he was in prison, you could still end up dead if you crossed his family. If he even heard a rumor of someone treating his baby girl wrong, he'd have someone deal with them. Also most every man in town adored her from the fact she could swear and brawl with the rest of them and she was the spitting image of Merle.

_Hayden leaned against the bar as she propped her combat boot clad feet on the bar stool beside her. She leafed through the filthy ten dollar bills in her hand and grinned at her father as he walked over to her from the pool table where he had just won another fistful of money. As he approached she moved her feet from the stool and swung to face him as he ordered a beer from the busty blonde waitress. _

_"How much did we get taday baby face?" He asked and placed the wad of bills on the counter. The girl quickly counted it and snickered at Merle. _

_"With all this, we got a hun'red fifty dollars Daddy. Ya gonna buy yerself 'nother beer 'n we'll still 'ave forty-five dollars left ta spend. 'S a good thing too, ah need some more smokes, 'n ya gonna buy some other stuff ta smoke fer yerself later? " She asked as she pulled the last cigarette out of her pack of Marlboro Reds and placed it between her lips and lit it expertly before flicking the empty box onto the floor. "So we'll have 'bout seventy-five dollars left."_

_"Our pussies of brothas 're gonna need some shit too don't ya think? Darylina's been bitchin' 'bout gettin' some new crossbow bolts." Merle took a long drink of his glass of beer and slammed it onto the counter. "Damn pussies won't do their own shit ta get their own shit, ya know baby girl?"_

_Hayden nodded and took a drag of her cigarette. "Ah know whachoo mean Daddy. Uncle Daryl's got his shit job at the 'struction sites, 'n ya got yer good job at the shop. Stupid bastard won't use 'is money, he saves it. Dunno what he thinks is gonna happen ta it iffen he spends it fer once." _

_The door to the bar opened and small mousy Joseph Peters scurried in and hurried over to his lone friend who was seated at a booth. _

_"He's an even bigga pussy 'n both of our brothas combined." Hayden muttered making her father laugh. "Such a waste of space that poxy little bastard is. Ya think he's even got a dick?" _

_"Nah, but 'is wife does." Merle stated making his daughter cackle and had to remove her cigarette to hold her stomach. At that the bartender glanced down at them and shook her head. A thirteen year old girl wearing short cut off jean shorts, a wife beater and combat boots smoking with her definition of white trash father as they counted money that had either won or stolen, which the woman didn't want to know. _

As much as Hayden hated to admit it, the apocalypse had changed her. She wasn't spitting mean or constantly picking a fight with everyone anymore. Before she would have knocked Jimmy into a coma, she had broke one kids collar bone on 'accident'. Still a year in juvie though.

And sure enough when she saw Jimmy stick his head out from the room she grinned. He had a black eye and a busted lip and yet she was sneering at him like some sort of psycho. Rick entered almost a second later and closed the door.

"What the hell Jimmy?" He ran his hand through his greasy hair and paced around the room kicking up dust as he went. "Why would you do that?"

"Cause I like her." He stared at the ground and Rick shook his head.

"You don't just go kiss someone like that! Especially not Hayden, and especially not a Hayden with an uncle whose gonna wanna rip your head off Jimmy! Dammit!" He cursed under his breath. The Dixons would want to kill Jimmy now and he couldn't really blame them. Damn.

_"Daddy ah'm home!" Hayden shouted as she entered the Dixons 'house'. She had been at juvie for the past three months and her brother had just picked her up since the older Dixons were at work. _

_Merle entered with a beer in his hand and grinned at his daughter as she sat down at the old rickety wooden table. "How'd they treat ya baby girl? Ah gotta rough anybody up?"_

_"Nah, it was pretty good that time Daddy. Nothin' ah couldn't handle." She cracked her knuckles for emphasize making him smirk. "Ah'm gettin' quite the reputation ova there. People leave me alone ta say the least." _

_"That's mah girl." _


	10. Old Habits Die Hard

**First off I would like to say that I do not like Carol or Beth and that there will be some bashing of Carol and Beth in this chapter so don't hate me...please?**

It had been two weeks since the Jimmy-Hayden incident. The two had promised each other never to speak of 'it' and became friends. The group had moved to ten different houses since then, a new one in a new town every day or two. Winter was quickly approaching as was Lori's baby and the group needed somewhere to hunker down for the winter since according to Herschel it wasn't good for a pregnant woman to be living like this. Why she was even pregnant and how she had managed to keep the baby stunned Jimmy and Hayden who thought she would have been too weak to properly bear the child.

Carl was constantly glaring at the older boy and kicking walker guts at him for reasons unknown to the rest of the group. Hayden often stared at him with furrowed brows trying to figure out what was wrong with him as the rest of the group looked on wearing shit eating grins.

Lori and Rick were happy, their son was finally liking a girl. But did it have to be Hayden? Why couldn't it be nice sweet Beth who could barely hurt a fly unless thus fly was a walker trying to eat her face off.

The group was slowly beginning to starve. They were used to eating Daryl and Sean's numerous daily kills along with food from the farm and now they just had Daryl and the not as skilled Hayden. Daryl often bagged around ten squirrels and Hayden was lucky if she killed two. Jobs were plenty for the group, cooking, keeping watch, cleaning weapons and making bolts for Daryl, scavenging, hunting, and repairing clothes.

With her uncle out hunting most of the time and her brother dead, Hayden was slipping back into herself with no one there to tell her to stop. It started with small sarcastic comments to Jimmy while they ate and when she realized her new found friend thought they were funny she slipped into her usual snide comments. These though Jimmy found quite funny and without his girlfriend and her extremely-Christian family he began to join in. Their favorite victim would be Carol.

They watched her as she sat alone in the corner crying and barely moving a muscle and just scoffed.

"Ya know, ah don't think ah have eva met a more worthless woman." Hayden muttered as they packed up the cars to leave yet again.

"Which do you think is more valuable to the group, her or that walker?" Jimmy asked and pointed to a walker they had killed whose guts had been smeared all over the ground.

"That walker, at least walker guts kin deter the other walkers." Hayden cackled making Jimmy scoff and nod his head.

"Exactly what I was thinking."

As much as Hayden wanted to make fun of the next weak and worthless member of group, Jimmy had never really gotten over Beth. And so Hayden waited for him to make the first snide side comment so she could bash his former girlfriend.

It came one day when Hayden and Jimmy were skinning squirrels and Beth had to pick up the meat. The blonde bit her lip and her eyes grew wide as she stared at the bucket of guts the other two teenagers were content with staring into.

Beth picked up the small bowl of meat and wen to leave when she placed it down hastily and clutched her stomach. Kneeling over she gagged and the second she wiped her mouth Jimmy stated the thing that started it all.

"She is such a good for nothing meaningless little bitch." Hayden laughed at that and Beth felt tears welling up in her eyes as she looked to her ex and his new friend. Overcome with stress and uncharacteristic anger, Beth walked over to them and punched Jimmy weakly which made Hayden laugh as she stood up.

"Lookit she can't even punch right." She grinned before she punched Beth sending her across the room. Jimmy held his jaw for a moment before laughing loudly. Herschel, Rick, and Daryl ran into the room at the sound of Beth crying and saw her holding her jaw as Hayden and Jimmy fell to the floor laughing.

"Hayden." Daryl barked and the girl looked up at the scowl on her uncle's face before bursting again. Jimmy stopped remembering when he had last crossed the man and glanced down at his friend who was now rolling around on the floor. He nudged her with his boot and sat up and wiped her tears away before standing up.

"The hell y'all lookin' at?" She barked.

"Ya don't hit people, Hayden!" Daryl snarled and grabbed his niece's arm and pulled her towards him.

"What're ya gonna do? Hit _me_?" Her eyes flashed dangerously and she smirked at him. "Pussy." She spat and stood up before returning to her skinning.

Daryl grabbed her arm and yanked her back towards him, anger present on his face. Hayden swallowed, she had never seen her uncle so angry before but she shrugged it off and rolled her eyes. "Ya haven't got the damn balls ta do it."

At that despite the fact that Daryl wanted to punch her in the face he threw her away from him. He didn't think he had ever hated Hayden as much as he did at that moment.

When everyone ate they ignored the two teenagers who were seated beside each other, their backs resting on the wall laughing every few moments. They sneered at the people who glanced over at them.

They left that house the next morning and as they packed up the cars, Beth wandered slightly away from the group and a small pack of walkers emerged from the woods. Stupid as she was, she screamed and was frozen in place. Jimmy yelled for her, having not gotten over her completely, and ran forward and pulled Beth away at the last moment. Everyone was yelling and in the confusion of packing cars and attacking walkers, they could barely see each other over the screams of the women and the gunshots from the men and Hayden and Maggie.

**A/N I know Hayden acted like a total bitch in this chapter but bear in mind that she is Merle's daughter, she was raised by him and has many of his mannerisms. Should Jimmy live or not? Let me know because I don't know what to do. Do you guys like his character or should I get rid of him?**


	11. Why Don't Ya Do Somethin?

**A/N When I watched last nights episode I was sobbing. Merle was a racist bastard and I don't think that that is a good thing in any way shape or form but it made the show so interesting. And poor Daryl I cried at that so much. Merle will not have that fate in either of my stories. Period. **

**And to everyone who helped me figure out what to do with Jimmy, thanks. **

**And to Demi187, There will be more Hayden and Carl interaction soon but keep in mind that Carl isn't exactly a bad ass yet and is still acting slightly like a child. **

**And sorry this was so short and for the long wait. The next chapter is skipping to the prison and going through the rest of winter. **

A gang of five walkers went after Jimmy and by the time Hayden blasted their heads away with he shotgun, the damage was already done. Jimmy laid in a pool of his own blood, the bite on his neck. Hayden screamed as she killed the last of the walkers and ran forward.

"Hayden...Please... Don't let me come back...Don't mourn me." He gasped as blood began to come out of his mouth. She put his head in her lap and cried. Her best friend was as good as dead.

"Herschel!" She screamed as she sobbed. "Do something!"

When she was replied with silence she turned back to Jimmy a he raised his hand and put it to her cheek. "Hayden... Promise me."

"Of course ah won't let ya come back Jimmy. Ah will neva ferget ya. Ah am so sorry that ah didn't see any of this comin'." She sobbed and rocked bak and forth as she looked down at him. Beth sobbed from somewhere behind her but Hayden didn't move. The time for that would be soon enough without her leaving his side.

Jimmy closed his eyes as Hayden kissed his forehead, which was probably the most affectionate thing she had ever done to anyone but her father or Sean. When Jimmy's chest stopped moving Hayden gently picked his head up and put it on the pavement as she stood up and wiped her tears. She raised her gun, uttered goodbye an shot her best friend in the head.

Beth cried out and as Hayden turned around she felt uncontrollable anger swelling up inside of her.

"This is all yer fault! He died try'na save yer worthless life ya bitch! 'N ya didn't even care 'bout him after the farm. He saved yer life back there too didn't he? Ya poxy little whore!" She screamed and punched the blonde in the face. Carol cried out and Hayden spun to face her. "'N ya! Ya were supposed ta be lookin' out! No wonder yer goddamn kid died! Y can't do anything right now can-"

Rick overcome with emotions hit Hayden in the head with his pistol and had Daryl pick her up. She was placed in the car with the Grimes' since she was out cold.

When she awoke she for a moment thought she would see Jimmy beside her but instead she saw Carl and she felt like crying but held it in.

"I'm sorry Hayden but you were-" Rick began from the front before Hayden interrupted him.

"Just shut the fuck up would ya?" She rubbed her temple and sighed. Her heart was beating abnormally fast and she was sweating. Her head felt light and she was shaking. She knew it was coming.

Hayden had kept in check back at the farm, and again at the highway. Back when she was within a few feet of Daryl she could remember that she still had him left. And now she was practically in a car full of strangers.

"Dad?" Carl cried with alarm after looking at her face as she felt her breathing sky rocket. Rick honked and all the cars stopped. Hayden yanked the door open and ran outside breathing in the fresh air until she saw Daryl. She sprinted towards him and buried her head in his shoulder feeling herself calm down. She still had him left and she was safe enough for now in his arms.

**I know that most of you said keep Jimmy alive but after some debating I think that if there is going to be a Carl and Hayden relationship, Jimmy can't really be around since he liked Hayden too. **


	12. Have Ya Eva Seen Tha Ocean?

**Sorry about the wait;) this takes place after they leave the house and are on the road and then when they are at the prison. Enjoy and review!**

As they all crowded around the car looking at the map, Hayden suddenly realized something and glanced around. Rediff Road was there and they were on Tanners Road. West Central Georiga was right where the two roads intersected. She didn't even realize she had said the words until she saw everyone staring at her. "Holy shit."

"What?" T-Dog asked as he looked around.

"Daryl, Rediff and Tanners. What is at the intersection?"

"Holy shit." Her uncles eyes widened and glanced around.

"Care to enlighten us?" Rick asked sounding annoyed.

"Ah've been here fifty times before. Mah daddy's prison. It's where the two roads intersect." She looked into the woods.

* * *

Hayden glanced up at Carl as she placed a cigarette between her lips for the tenth time that minute.

"Ya think this place is safe?" She asked as she blew the smoke out of her mouth.

"If my dad says its safe its safe." Carl replied as he looked down from the watch tower.

"Grow a pair Carl, think fer yerself." She scoffed and shook her head. She liked her friend but he just did what his dad told him to do.

"Things will be nice here." He stated as he gazed across the cleared fields of the prison. Maybe twenty walkers clawed at the outer fence, straining to get at their prey as it walked around.

"Yeah ah think so." Hayden bit her lip when the thought of her dad out on the road came into her head. "So ya gonna get with Beth?"

Carl choked on his water and fell to coughing on the floor. Beth was okay but she was pretty weak. He liked Hayden and was pretty sure the whole group knew but the Dixons.

"Ah take that as a yes." Hayden smirked and sat back in her chair. "Hey Carl?"

"Yeah?" The boy looked over and saw her biting her lip nervously.

"Have ya...have ya eva seen the ocean?" And with that Carl told her everything about the ocean.

"Did you like Jimmy?" Carl blurted out after a minute.

"Uh ah ain't friends with people ah don't like." She stated glancing over at him.

"No I mean did you like like Jimmy?" Carl tried again.

"Why're ya repeatin' yerself? Ah just told ya ah liked Jimmy." She looked confused as she gazed over the fields.

"I meant did you more than like him as a friend?" Carl tried getting slightly angry.

"What the hell? Ah don't know. Maybe iffen ah had had more time ta spend with 'im. Before Carol and Beth killed him!" She shouted the last part and the two women in question glared up at the tower. Carl nodded solemnly and turned to face his friend.  
"Well Hayden I-" He could tell he was blushing as he said the words before he was interrupted by Daryl's gruff voice.

"Hayden, come on we're goin'!" Hayden grinned at Carl and flicked her cigarette into the grass below as she ran down the steps of the watch tower. Carl slumped over in his chair before getting up and walking back to the cell block. It wasn't fair that Hayden got to go when he didn't, just like it hasn't been fair when she got to clear out the courtyard with the adults. But he did what his dad told him to do and was quiet about it.

And with that they were off and traveling down the tombs. A pack of walkers separated them but they were quickly moving again. Until Herschel stepped over a walker who bit his ankle.

They grabbed him and pulled him to a cafeteria. Hayden held her axe in her hands as Daryl raised his crossbow. A few forms appeared behind a screen and Hayden raised the axe menacingly.

"Holy shit!" A familiar voice cried making everyone look up. "Shit, Oscar look its little Hayden Dixon!"

"Hayden?" Rick snarled from behind her but she just kept staring at the men.

"Fancy seein' y'all here, 'specially ya Axel, figgered ya'd be one of the first ta go." She grinned as Axel shook his head.

"Hayden!" Rick shouted getting her attention. "We need to go!"

Hershel had been loaded onto a cart and they were preparing to open the doors.

"Alright, let's go." She held her axe up as the first few entered and demolished their skulls. She heard gasps behind her but sprinted after her group.

"Carl open up!" She shouted as the entered the cell block area. The prisoners ran in and Hayden roughly grabbed Rick and pulled him away from the group.

"Axel and Oscar the tall black guy. Only ones ah know." She whispered and walked over to he uncles side.

As they worked things out, Hayden entered her fathers old cell that she had claimed as her own. He hadn't been in it for two years now but the pillowcase still smelled a bit like him, like smoke, alcohol, and the woods.

Collapsing on the bed, Hayden reached into the only thing she had left of her brother, the picture of her and her family. Sniffling slightly, Hayden pulled out the small roll of duct tape she had and taped the photo to the wall opposite her bed.

"_Hayden buy us some smokes on the way home from yer ma's." Merle's voice filled the small house and Hayden quickly nodded. She was almost out. Merle pressed a ten dollar bill into her hand and walked back to where he was working on Daryl's truck._

_The ten dollars was covered in grease but the girl knew old Billy at the store would take it anyway. "Yer brotha's gonna pick ya up after work alright? He'll be ova in that area 'cause he needs a new knife."_

_Hayden nodded and grabbed her last cigarette. Waving goodbye to her father, Hayden began the two mile walk to school._

_All the kids at school wore jean cutoffs and t-shirts with flip flops but Hayden scoffed at them. She wore short jean shorts, combat boots and wife beaters. They all brought books and paid attention, Hayden was passed from teacher to teacher and passed because they didn't want another year with the Dixon._  
_Teachers didn't hate Sean just like they hadn't hated Daryl. But Hayden was hated just as much as her father had been. She was loud and mean never doing work and blatantly ignoring instructions. She played hooky to go visit her dad when he was in prison. Hayden Dixon was bad news._

_The only class that she was good at was history. She still didn't do work or participate but her tests were frequently a 100%._

_When Hayden reached her mom's house seven hours later, she was met with silence. It wasn't like her mom was happy to see her when Hayden came around, but she usually at least yelled at Hayden to bring her drugs. Today silence throughout the whole house. Maybe her mom had the same thing most of the kids in her classes had and was in the hospital._

_In the hospital? She wrote it off the second it entered her mind. What would she pay the hospital with? Drugs? Rolling her eyes Hayden opened the screen door and yelled for her mom._

_"Ma! Get yer ass out here!" She yelled and heard a deep guttural growl from the living room. Her mother was kneeling in front of something, her nightgown on and slippers on her feet, each covered in blood. She was kneeled over a bloody mound on the floor that Hayden deep down knew was her mothers cat. It's blood was all over the floor and so were bits of it._

_"Ma?" The woman looked up and Hayden saw she was missing half her face, roughly ripped off. "Shit!"_

_As her mother came at her, Hayden grabbed a screw driver from the counter and as her mother grabbed her arm, Hayden stuck it in her eye as she sobbed._  
_She had just killed her mother. Hayden let go of the screwdriver and it, still in her mom's head, fell to the floor with a sick thump._

_The girl felt sick to her stomach so she bent over and relieved her stomach of its contents. Sprinting into the kitchen, Hayden dialed her brother at the store he had been going to. Begging with him to pick up, she could have cried when she heard his voice on the other end._

_"Hayden? Holy shit!" He was breathless which was scary for Hayden to hear. He was never breathless._

_"Sean! Ah...ah just killed mah ma!" She sobbed._

_"'S gonna be okay Hayden, ah'm gonna come get ya okay? Then we'll go home 'n get dad and Daryl okay?" Hayden nodded despite the fact that she knew her brother couldn't see her._

_"Okay." She glanced over at where her mom was lying with a screwdriver in her eye in the hallway. Soon enough the sound of her brothers truck filled Hayden's ears and she ran outside. There were a few people outside bent over something on the sidewalk._

_"Hayden, lets go!" He brother threw open the passenger door and she jumped in._

_"Sean, what the fuck is happenin'?" She asked as she looked at the bag beside her brother. Inside was a shotgun, about fifty boxes of ammunition, a few hunting knives, and another shotgun with a few pistols in with it. They certainly didn't have the kind of money for those shotguns or ammo. Her brothers crossbow was on the dashboard along with a few brand new cartons of bolts. He still had a few old ones an they were covered in black slime._

_"Ah dunno, everyone at the store was dead."_

Hayden opened her eyes and gazed around the room. For a moment she reached out to grab her brother but then she remembered and drew her arm in as quickly as she could. Rubbing her eyes, Hayden stood up and stretched. Her eyes found the picture and she touched her brothers face with her index finger. Sighing, she grabbed her ax and exited her cell.

Axel and Oscar were speaking to Rick and the others were standing to the side.

"Hayden." Rick called her over and she turned on her heel and slowly stalked over to them.

"What?" Her voice was low and she practically snarled it which made Rick slightly nervous. He hadnt heard her talk like that since Jimmy had been alive. Shit. She had been good, helping Carl with his shooting and knife throwing. She had told the group Sean's tricks to running long distance. She had been progressing.

"Why are they in here? We need to be sure they are telling the truth."

"Axel robbed a gas station with a toy gun and then was framed with a real gun. Oscar was in for stealing a car. His partner turned him in for a lesser sentence." Without another word, Hayden stalked back into the dark cell.


	13. Daddy?

**Alright well this is my thinking. Everyone knows about what happens in season 3 and Hayden being there doesn't really change things apart from a few incidents. Sorry if you don't like this idea of the plot sorry but I don't really feel like just rewriting season 3. **

**Alright also I have decided that Sean was not at Woodbury with Andrea and that maybe he went in the opposite direction of Andrea or something. I am not quite sure yet about if I want him to be alive so yeah. **

**Alright so here you go. Read and review please?**

They all exited their little hiding places after the walkers were killed. Hayden looked wildly around for Carl and spotted him and Maggie exiting with a baby in her arms.

"No!" Rick screamed and fell onto the ground sobbing. Hayden saw her friend face ashen and pale so she grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the cell block they called home.

"Hayden she...she-" Carl stuttered as she ha him sit on at one of the tables.

"Ah had ta put mah ma down too. She was turned, in tha very beginnin'. Ah killed 'er 'n didn't know she was dead." She stared straight ahead as she stated it and when she was done she shook her head. "Now mah ma didn't give a rats ass 'bout me 'n yer ma did. She wouldn't want ya ta be sad."

Everyone entered the cell block later sadly and wandered over to tables and cells. Carl watched as Hayden and Daryl entered from working on moving the walker bodies. His father had gone off somewhere and it was now or never.

"Hayden I like you."

"Uh ah like ya too Carl. Didn't we go ova this tha otha day? Ah ain't friends with people ah don't like."

"No I mean I like you as more than a friend." Hayden stared at him for a minute before she turned on her heel and walked quickly back to her cell.

* * *

"Hayden ya're stayin' here." Daryl firmly told her but Hayden frowned.

"Ya don't tell me what ta do."

"This time ah do. Now shut up and listen ta me. Iffen things go wrong at Woodbury, ya'n Carl could be the last ones. Ya need ta stay here."

It had been a day since Daryl, Rick, Oscar and Michonne had left. Hayden paced for hours, Carl trying to calm her down as she snarled at everyone who came near her. It was rather awkward between the two of them, neither one wanting to speak to the other.

"Hayden, it's fine please they'll be back." He tried to reason with her but she had just walked faster.

And sure enough, the small band of them made it to the gates, Carl flinging open the door. Maggie and Glenn were there, the latter looking like crap. Rick and Michonne were next, followed by Daryl. Oscar wasn't there and Hayden frowned as she turned around and began to walk back up to the cell block.

"Ya didn't miss me darlin'?" A familiar voice drawled and Hayden spun around slowly afraid it would be her imagination. It wouldn't be the first time.

"Daddy?" She yelled and sure enough there he was, right behind Daryl. "Daddy!"

She sprinted forward as fast as she could and threw herself into his arms. He wrapped his hand around her and she clung to the filthy fabric of his shirt. "Hey there baby girl. Ah take it that ya missed me."


	14. Mmrrrr

Merle looked down at the girl in his arms. His little girl all grown up. He thought back to the first time he had held her.

* * *

_When Merle got home that day, Jackie was already waiting inside the house. She had a baby in her arms which she thrust at Merle before hurrying from the house. He remembered not too gently shoving the baby at her but she shook her head and climbed into her car._

_Merle didn't know a thing about babies. He was in jail for the first two years of Sean's life and when he got out, the kid thought Daryl was his dad._

_And then when Daryl got home he saw his brother watching television and drinking beer with a baby lying on the crooked card table and two year old Sean sitting in a pile of wood outside the 'house'. _

_When Hayden was almost a month old, Merle ended up going to jail for a year for something or another._

_When his kids were young they stayed at old Mrs. Erickson's house while he and Daryl went to work. _

_When Hayden was five she learned that to make her father happy, when he came home from work and sat down on the old couch, you grab him a beer from the rusty fridge._

_When she was six she learned to open the door for her father when he came home from work. _

_When she was seven she made her brother teach her what tools were which so she could help her father while he worked on the truck by handing him the tools and beer._

_When she was eight she found that when her father and Daryl finished skinning their kills to clean his knives and wash off the wooden table. _

_At ten Hayden learned to make sharp cruel comments about others which made her father chuckle. She learned how to break into houses and hot wire cars from her father. Hayden learned a lot of things from the foul mouthed Merle Dixon. And now here he was holding his daughter in his arms again._

* * *

She was grinning as she pulled away from him and looked into his strikingly blue eyes. Oh she had spent years envying the men in her life for those blue eyes while she got muddy brown eyes. But when her dad had told her that she looked like her grandma she had been quiet and stopped envying their blue eyes.

"Oh Daddy ah missed ya so much!" She turned and began to walk up the pathway to the prison pulling her father along with her.

* * *

"_Mrrrr." Merle looked across the room at his daughter. She wouldn't talk. She understood commands and such but she wouldn't stop making those cooing baby noises. _

_"Mrrr..." She growled as Sean tottered into the room. "Mmrrrr..." _

_Daryl entered after a long day of work and walked right over to the beers. "Mmrrrrllll." _

_""Merle ya wanna toss me that rag?" Daryl called from the kitchen area. "Merle?" _

_"Mrrrllll." The baby cried in frustration. _

_"Hey Merle?" Daryl yelled catching the child's attention. _

_"Merle!" The child cried suddenly and Merle stared across the room at his daughter. _

_"Merle did she just say your name?" Daryl asked crossing the room. Three year old Sean still called Merle daddy and Daryl was dawyl. _

_"Merle!" She cried again and the big man was across the room in a second holding her as she said his name. He grinned. For once he was proud of something in his life._


	15. What? I wasn't-I wouldn't-What?

**Sorry this chapter is so short but I think it's a good place to end it. Leave me a review about how Hayden should start to like Carl because I can't think of anyway for Hayden to characteristically tell Carl or show him that she likes him. Here you go. Review?**

Carl watched as Hayden walked up the path to the prison with her dad. She was smiling and laughing, an looked genuinely happy. Her long auburn hair was up in a pony tail and her dark tanned skin was covered in walker blood and dirt. Her dark brown eyes had lost some of the hardness and was replaced by a twinkling light. Hayden was tall and lean and went up to her fathers shoulder where she was leaning on him.

The two of them entered the cell block followed by the others and Hayden sat down beside her dad at one of the metal tables.

"Daddy?" All she got was a grunt in return. "How's yer clap?"

Merle chuckled and shook his head, ruffling her hair as he did so. "Mah clap is just fine baby girl. 'S just fine."

"Hayden go get me a cigarette would ya?" Her father asked after a few moments and the girl shot up and hurried down to her cell. Merle had just wanted to get the Grimes kid alone. He had noticed the stares the kid was giving his daughter.

"Hey kid." His voice rang across the room and Carl looked up from where he was cleaning his gun. "Quit eye-fuckin' mah daughter."

"What? I wasn't...I wouldn't!" He stuttered as his face grew redder and redder.

"What the hell is wrong with ya Carl?" Hayden asked as she entered the room and handed her dad a box of cigarettes and his old pocket knife.

"Thanks darlin'." He grinned at his daughter and winked at Carl.


	16. Ya Oughta Be Dead

**Rika24- Alright so I meant to put this in the authors note in the last chapter but I forgot it. Don't blame me because I'm human and thank you for reminding me because I probably would have forgotten it again. Okay so my thinking was that Merle just saw Carl look at Hayden a few times, he has always just been kinda an exaggerated person. Also he doesn't know that Carl is Rick's son. He was too preoccupied with Hayden to see Rick and Carl walk up together. **

**Also thanks to Rika24 and Demi187 for their help on Hayden and Carl. I love you two you have the best ideas! **

**I know I know I forgot to put Tyresse and his group and Axel but I completely forgot about that part. Sorry once again I am only human. So yeah they will all be in this chapter. Shit. **

**Also, wow this is a really long note, as much as I love Meth (Merle & Beth) it would just be gross in this fic because his daughter is like two years younger than her and that's kinda nasty. Beside Hayden hates Beth, and Carol. I hate them too and whenever I watch the Daryl and Carol interactions I feel queasy. So no Meth and as always no Caryl because that is just gross. I am shuddering just thinking about it. **

**Review? Alright here you go, finally. **

"Axel?" Merle's voice carried across the room when the man entered the room beside Carol.

"Oh uh hey Merle." The man looked at his feet, one of his biggest fears from prison standing a few feet away from him.

"How'd ya live through this shit?" Merle asked and glanced over at his daughter as she smirked at him.

"It was uh me, Big Tiny, Tomas, Andrew and uh Oscar." Axel stared down at the ground.

"Tomas." Merle snarled and looked around. "Where's that cocksucker?"

"Yeah uh Rick uh killed him." He stared at his feet and shuffled his new shoes. Merle looked over to where his daughter was speaking to Carl in the doorway to the cell block.

"'N the othas?" Merle asked.

"Big Tiny uh got bit I suppose, Rick uh killed Andrew, and Oscar died at Woodbury." Axel bit his lip and looked around.

"Well ah guess it's just ya'n me eh? The remainder of good ol' cell block C." Merle laughed and patted his 'friend' on the back before he went over to Daryl who was cleaning his crossbow.

While almost everyone was outside, Hayden and Carl heard a loud yell.

"The fuck?" Hayden barked and grabbed her ax and shotgun.

"Let's go see what it was." The two of them shot off down the tombs an into the boiler room where there were numerous people fighting off walkers. Carl shot at the walkers while Hayden cut off heads and embedded the red blade into the rotting flesh.

"Let's go ya idjits!" Hayden yelled and sprinted down the corridor with Carl on her heels.

"You have to leave her!" Carl screamed as they ran.

They hurriedly put the people into an area they could lock them in and swiftly locked the door.

"Hey! Hey kids!" A young black woman yelled as she banged on the door.

"Yer safe so shut the hell up. Ya oughta take care of 'er ya know." Hayden gestured to the bitten woman. And with that the two friends stalked out of the cell block.

"Rick! Daryl! Merle!" Carl shouted and quickly they ran down to them.

"What?"

"New people, we saved them." Carl stated and gestured back to the cell block.

"What the hell Carl!" Rick shouted and put his hand in his hair and paced around.

After Rick kicked them out, the prison group headed outside. They were gathered in small groups talking when suddenly Beth screamed. Axel flew backwards, skidding across the pavement. A bullet had grazed his head and blood dropped from the aside of his head.

Hayden grabbed her AK-47 and began to release a rain of bullets into the woods surrounding them. She was rewarded by a few yells and then she was out of ammo. Jumping behind a filing cabinet, she hoped that they would leave.

Hayden watched as Carl continuously shot out a rain of bullets before ducking behind a cabinet as well.

When Woodbury finally left, the front gates were ruined and walkers piled through. The inner gates were closed and then they were alone in silence. Well as silent as it could be when people were hauling an unconscious Axel inside.

"Why's the kid with 'em?" Merle asked as they walked back inside. "Where're his parents?"

"What do ya mean? He's Rick's kid." Hayden glanced up at her father in confusion.

"Ricks got a fuckin' kid besides tha baby?"

"Uh yeah the kid is Carl." Se looked up at her father in utter confusion.

"Ah thought Carl was that pig, Shane's kid." Merle looked confused. "Shane'n that brunette bitch."

"No Lori was Ricks wife 'n she cheated on him with Shane." Hayden laughed quietly. "Ya spent two months in a camp with 'em 'n ya neva figgered who was who?"

"Neva cared ta. Now ah want ya ta stay away from that Grimes boy. How'd ya find this group anyways?" Merle asked as they entered the cell block.

"Uh Shane 'n Rick found us." She stated and licked her lips hoping for a distraction.

"And?" Her father put his hand out in front of her and turned to face her his eyes expectant.

"They found us killing someone who was bit and then they sorta abducted us and beat tha shit outta us. Shane dug a knife inta mah leg."

"That bastard fuckin' what?" Merle bellowed and Hayden backed slowly away from him. Shit. Daryl glanced into the cell block and saw Merle shouting and Hayden backing up slowly. The group was about to find out really how redneck trash they were.

"He stabbed me in tha leg." Hayden whispered and stared at her feet.

"Ya lookit me when ah'm talkin' ta ya girl." Merle barked and Hayden looked up at her father. "Now git tha fuck outta here."

Hayden scurried away from he father as Carl walked in from where he had been outside with his father.

"Hey, what was all that yellin' about?" Carl asked glancing over at her.

"Nothin'." She smiled half heartedly and looked around. "We should get ready for the battle huh?"

They spent the next few hours moving tables together and making the prison stronger.

"We should get rid of Merle." Glenn stated as they all gathered around to eat. Hayden's head snapped up and she stared at Glenn.

"We should what?" She asked, her tone begging him to repeat what he ha said so she could vent her anger.

"Hand him over to the Governor. Maybe it would get him off our ass." Glenn continued, looking around the group and not seeing Hayden put her bowl of mush down. Carl stuck his hand out to stop her but Hayden threw herself on Glenn, splashing his food all over him. The young man tried to shove her off but she had grabbed him by the shirt and slammed him up against the nearby wall.

Glenn shoved her away from him and she crashed into the tables and chairs. Yelling out in anger she ran towards him again but he kicked her in the stomach and she fell back into the tables with a yelp.

"Hayden! Glenn!" Herschel screamed and stuck his crutch out in front of the two of them. "Glenn, that is Hayden's father you are talking about, Merle has military experience."

Hayden watched as Herschel spoke to her father and shook her head. She wanted to go sit near her father but Herschel was there.

Hayden was on watch with Carl when suddenly a blonde blur was running up the steps. "Andrea?"

"Are you alone?" Rick yelled as Merle opened the gate. Rick grabbed Andrea and slammed her against the gate despite walkers crowding around and searched her as the group watched on with hard eyes. "Welcome back."

Rick brought Andrea inside the prison, Carl and Hayden following swiftly.

"I am on your side!" Andrea shouted but Hayden scoffed and shook her head before walking over to her father.

"Hayden, where is Sean?" The woman asked, noticing the hard look in her eyes and the adoration to her father.

"Dead." She spat out and glared at the woman. "Like ya oughta be."

"We had that field, courtyard, until your boyfriend tore down the fence with a truck and shot us up," Rick barked as Andrea repeated again that she was on their side.

"Rick please, work out a peaceful agreement! No one has to die!"

"I do not think the governor has any desire to negotiate." Herschel stated looking at Andrea.

As Andrea went outside with Michonne, Hayden felt sick with envy and anger. Why had Andrea gotten to live but not Sean?

Andrea left soon after and Hayden stood beside Merle as she left in an old vehicle of the prison's.

"Ah'm sorry, Hayden." Merle stated, putting his left arm around her shoulders.

"Ah know Daddy." She smiled at him and watched Andrea leave the gates. "But Daryl helped us 'n got us out for any real damage could be done. 'Sides, mah limp, makes me look badass."

Merle scoffed at this and rolled his eyes. "Like mah hand does darlin'?"

"Hell yeah." The girl smiled up at him and shook her head before walking over to Maggie. "How ya doin' Maggie?"

"As good as I can be I guess." The girl smiled sadly at Hayden who nodded solemnly before walking over to Carl.

"Hey." He glanced down slightly at Hayden as she approached and she nodded in greeting. "What's up?"

"Ah like ya too Carl." She stated and smirked as she punched him on the arm before strutting back into the cell block, a laugh in the back of her throat.

**Alright yeah I know another A/N but I just decided that Carl is 5 foot 6 and Hayden is 5 foot 4**


	17. I Loved You And You Do This?

Hayden walked back into her cell and flopped down on the bed staring at the bunk above her. It was dark in the cell block now, night having come, and there was a small fire that gave off little heat and light. Everyone was either lying quietly in their cell or sitting near the fire. Bored, Hayden absentmindedly strolled into her father's cell which was away from everyone else's.

"Hi Daddy." She sat on the bottom bunk of his bed and looked over at her father. He was sitting at the small table working on his contraption.

"What're yew doin' in here? Shouldn't ya be out there with yer new family?" He barked glaring at her as she shrank away from his gaze.

"What're yew talkin' 'bout Daddy? Yew'n Daryl are mah family, not those people." She stated looking over at him.

"Never mind." He turned back to his arm and Hayden laid down, breathing in the familiar and safe scent of her father.

Beth singing soon filled the air and the father and daughter wandered to the front of the cell. Daryl was standing with Herschel and Rick, Maggie and Glenn sat beside each other and Beth, Judith, and Carol were sitting beside the fire. Rick was muttering something to Daryl and then he looked over at the cell that he expected to be vacant of any life but was greeted with the stony stares of the oldest and youngest Dixons.

"Is that what yew meant Daddy? That Daryl thinks they're more family than me'n yew?" Hayden asked, looking up at her father who nodded. "Then he's a traitor and not a Dixon no more."

Merle grunted in response and when the song was over he patted Hayden's shoulder which she took to be a signal to leave and she started to walk away when he called her back. "Hayden, ah'm gonna get yew safe."

"Ah know." She smiled at him before walking back to her cell. She glanced into Carl's but it was empty and she figured he was on watch. Entering her cell, Hayden closed the door as a sign for no one to bother her because she fully intended to sleep as long as she could the next day. Changing swiftly in the corner of the cell into a pair of small men's green and black plaid pajama pants that she had to roll six times to stay on her waist and a tank top, Hayden listened for anyone coming.

She was awoken to the sound of someone pausing at her cell and she instantly grabbed the knife she kept on the small table. But when she crept forward she only saw Carl and she whispered his name as he moved on.

"Carl!" She hissed getting his attention.

"Oh hi Hayden." He blushed and she smirked at him. Carl pulled his hat down further over his eyes to hid his face making her grin. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm going out with my dad and Michonne tomorrow."

"Oh where are y'all goin'?" Hayden asked softly.

"Back home to the police station." Carl looked slightly nervous.

"Don't yew git bit now Carl." She stated, smiled slightly at him and receded into the darkness of her cell. Lying down on the lumpy mattress Hayden fell asleep.

_Jimmy was staring at her as he sharpened a knife. There was nothing but anger and betrayal in his eyes as he glared at her. _

_"Jimmy?" She asked. "Jimmy, what's wrong?" _

_"I loved you Hayden." His voice was hollow and his eye slightly drooped as he spoke. _

_"Jimmy you don't mean that." She stated uncomfortably. _

_"Shut up and listen! I love you and you pay me back by being with that runt?" He bellowed. _

_"I'm sorry I still like you." She whispered. _

_"Shut up!" He shouted but she looked up at him. _

_"Jimmy please I still like you more than Carl!" She whispered. _

_Jimmy stopped sharpening his knife and then they were standing back on the road when Carol was supposed to be watching for walkers. _

_Jimmy was running towards her when he was tackled and mauled his screams mixing with Hayden's as she fought against someone who was holding her tightly. _

_"Jimmy!" She was fighting against whoever was holding her as she sobbed. "No! Jimmy come back please! Jimmy no!" _

Merle raced into the cell when he heard his daughter, his baby, screaming. She was thrashing around on the mattress and she smack her hand against the concrete wall and her leg flung into the metal bar on the bunk bed but she still slept.

"HAYDEN!" Merle grabbed her and she shrieked, her eyes opening wide and frightened. She clung to his shirt as her lifeline and forced herself not to cry. After a moment she retracted herself from her father and sat in the chair her eyes still wide. The light of the morning came into the cell and everyone but Rick, Michonne and Carl was gathered outside of her cell.

"Git the hell outta here!" Merle barked and they swiftly hurried away all except Daryl who remained in the doorway. "Yew okay?"

Hayden just kept staring at the wall but Merle left anyway, pulling Daryl away with him. "Who tha hell was Jimmy?"

"Jimmy was uh...Hayden's first uhh kiss. He was Beth's boyfriend and he decided he liked Hayden more so he kissed her. Ah saw tha regla Hayden when she hung around with Jimmy. He was bit tryna help Beth. Carol was supposed to be looking out but she didn't see tha walkers 'til it was too late." Daryl felt increasingly uncomfortable as he spoke the words.

Merle glanced back at the cell and could see his daughter holding her legs to her chest as she sat in the chair and was staring at the wall.


	18. We're Going To War

When Carl returned from Kings County everyone glanced over at him sadly. The faces in the cell block weren't the ones he wanted to see. He was glad to see Axel was up again but where was Hayden?

"Where's Hayden?" Carl asked Beth.

"She had a dream. Jimmy was in it. She screamed and threw herself against the wall in her sleep. Hasn't spoken to anyone since a little bit after you guys left." Beth frowned and wiped a tear from her eye. Carl grabbed the picture of him and his family, placed it in his cell and entered Hayden's.

She was sitting with her knees to her chest her arms wrapped around them. She was still wearing her pajamas and she had bags under her eyes and bruises on her arms.

"Hayden?" He called softly but she kept staring blankly at the wall. "Hayden."

When he got no response Carl remained in the cell trying to get the image of the dead hitchhiker out of his mind. Beth walked past gazing jealously into the cell.

"Hayden, I'm sorry." He stated.

"Ah don't like yew anymore." She whispered with her head resting on her knees.

"What?" That was the last thing that he expected to come out of her mouth.

"Ah. Don't. Like. Yew. Any. More." She enunciated each word clearly and loudly slightly startling the teenager beside her.

"Why...Why not?"

"Because ah fuckin' don't now get tha fuck outta here!" She shouted raising her head up to glare at Carl who remained where he was seated.

After a moment the girl stood up and skirted around Carl out of the cell and into the block, wandering into Axel's. Standing in the doorway she looked down at the man lying on the bottom bunk.

"Hey Hayden." He stated and sat up looking at her through the top of his eyes.

"How do yew feel _Uncle_ Axel?" She asked as she crossed her arms over her chest and sat down in the chair across from him.

"Alright I guess, I was lucky. Bullet just grazed my head." He stated and smiled sadly at her. "I heard you liked a guy before you guys came here."

"Yeah, uh Jimmy. He worked for Herschel 'n was goin' out with Beth."

"Heard that he kissed you."

"How the hell did ya hear of all this?" Hayden cried and put her hands over her face as she turned crimson.

"I have my ways little Dixon." He stated with a grin and she shook her head.

"With yer head grazin' ya don't look as...pussy-ish." She grinned at him and he feigned being hurt by her statement.

"And the nice _family_ conversation is over." He shook his head and laid back down on the cot.

Still slightly grinning she walked back to her cell, Hayden saw that Carl was cleaning some of the guns. The door to the cell block opened and Merle and Daryl entered arguing loudly with one another.

"Well ah'm goin' tamorrow whateva yew say!" Daryl barked at his brother.

"Yew cannot reason with tha' devil!" Merle snarled and turned to face his brother. "Ah will not stand fer yew to put mah daughter in tha crossfires!"

"Daddy? What are yew two talkin' about?" Hayden asked walking over to them both.

"Yer idjit uncle wants ta go reason with tha Govna." Merle barked.

"Why tha fuck would ya waste yer life away doin' that? That idjit ain't gonna wanna 'reason' with y'all." Hayden glanced over at her uncle.

"Rick thinks-"

"Yer Rick's bitch ain't ya?" Merle asked rounding on his brother.

"What the fuck Merle!" He cried angrily.

"Yer a traitor ta our name!" Hayden yelled and grabbed her father's arm.

"Our name?" Daryl snarled.

"Hayden go to bed." Merle ordered.

"What? Why?"

"Go. To. Bed. Now." He glared down at her.

Entering her cell Hayden pulled a pack of cigarettes out from inside a hole in the cot. Carol appeared a moment later, glanced down at her and she hurried away.

Lying down on the ground Hayden stared at the picture on the dark grey wall her eyes finding her brothers face.

* * *

When she awoke it was to the loud raised voices of Daryl and Merle. Sliding out of bed, Hayden saw her uncle storm away from her father, his new crossbow on his back.

"Daddy?" She called but he walked away from her back into his dark cell. Quickly changing into a pair of jean shorts and a wife beater, Hayden exited her cell.

Carol was walking past and she ran right into the young girl. "Oh hi Hayden."

"Whose Daryl goin' with?"

"Rick and Herschel." Hayden walked away towards where Beth was setting out small bowls of a porridge. Grabbing a bowl the younger girl tilted it around watching the mud like substance slowly move around.

"I know its gross but we're running out of food." Beth explained.

Carrying the disgusting 'food' over to one of the small metal tables, Hayden sat down.

* * *

Hayden was walking aimlessly through the cell block when she saw her father packing a black duffel bag. He was shoving boxes of ammo and guns into it as he spoke loudly that he planned to kill the governor. "Ah say we storm the meetin' and take out the Gov. bafore he kin come up 'n force. Ah know that ah don't wanna die."

Hurrying over Hayden picked up her new favorite gun: a M4A1. "Let's go Daddy."

"No yew're stayin' here Hayden."

"No, ah'm not. Let's go." She barked. The two turned to leave when Glenn stood in front of them.

"This guy cops a feel of your woman 'n yew pussy out like this?" Merle snarled before the two began to fight. Glenn went to shove Merle but a swift kick to the rubs from Hayden ended him short. Maggie grabbed Hayden from behind who lowered her head before throwing her head into Maggie's nose.

Yelling out the older girl remained holding the younger girl's stomach even closer. Michonne ran up to Merle and Glenn as they fought on the ground. With everyone screaming, no one noticed Beth until she fired a shot into the ceiling. Everyone separated one another from the others and went to stand up.

As Merle and Hayden passed her, Hayden spat on the girl who twisted her face up in disgust.

"Hayden go clean the guns." Merle instructed and he went over to speak to Michonne. Wordlessly she obeyed and nodded at Carl slightly as she passed but that was all.

* * *

When Rick, Daryl and Herschel returned, Hayden barely even looked at her uncle.

"He wants us dead, for what we did to Woodbury," Rick stated. "We're going to war."


	19. Where's Mah Daddy? Where's Michonne?

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Merle was walking slowly through the cell block when Rick approached him getting Hayden's attention. The two never spoke to one another so she quickly told Maggie she needed to leave. Quietly hurrying down the hallway, Hayden only managed to catch the end of the conversation.

"You're cold as ice, Office Friendly." Merle stated before he turned and left nearly running into Hayden who slipped behind a corner just in time.

* * *

The group was lying spike strips at the prison gate when Hayden turned to Michonne. "Ah liked yer cat thingy ba tha way."

"It was just too damn gorgeous to leave behind." She replied making Hayden grin which Merle took note of.

"This was a good idea." Hayden stated a moment later as they continued to lay down the strips.

"We don't have to win. We just have to make their getting at us more trouble than its worth." Michonne explained.

* * *

When Hayden walked through the cell block she saw Merle ripping up mattresses. "Daddy?"

"Oh hey baby face." He grinned up at his daughter.

"Whachoo up to?" She leaned in the doorway gazing down at him. When he didn't answer Hayden frowned remembering his past. "Yew are not! Merle yew promised me that ya wouldn't do speed anymore goddamn it!"

"Things have changed." Merle stated and pulled out the stuffing from the bed.

"Aw fuck yew!" Hayden shouted.

* * *

Hayden was walking around running about wildly looking for her father. She went to find Michonne but she was missing as well.

"Carl!" She ran forward grabbing the young man as he went to go outside. Slidding she noticed that she had startled him. "Have ya seen mah dad? Er Michonne?"

"Uh no." He stated uncomfortably.

"Daryl!" Hayden sprinted forward to where he was coming in from outside. "Where's mah daddy'n Michonne?"

"Ah'm gonna go out'n look fer 'em." Daryl said.

"Ah'm goin' with ya."

"No yer not."

"He's mah _dad_!"

"'N yer _mah_ only family 'sides him left!" He bellowed.

"Shut up 'n listen yew asshole!" She shouted at him. "Ah'm goin' ta go so let's go!"

"Then let's go." He shouldered his crossbow and Hayden grabbed her two throwing knives along with her M4A1.

* * *

The two were running, tracking the two as best as they could. Hearts feeling like they were going to burst and legs growing slightly tired. They passed Michonne who stated that Merle was further up ahead at the meeting place with the governor.

They burst to the abandoned area and heard classic rock music coming from a car with its drivers door wide open. Walkers were feasting on multiple bodies and so they were swiftly eliminated. There was a slight groan from inside the mill and the two entered to see a battered and bloody Merle lying on the ground barely breathing. Blood pooled on the cement below him and his eyes were barely open.

"Daddy!" Hayden cried and ran forward over to him tears running down her face.

"Holy shit Merle!" Daryl yelled tearfully. "Hayden help me get him over to that car." With great difficulty the two of them pulled Merle to the car.

They laid Merle down in the backseat of the car. Sitting in the passenger seat, Hayden turned around to face her bleeding father.

"Daddy, hey iffen yew live just think about how badass ya'll look." She stated through her tears.

"Hey...baby face...Dixons...d-don't...cry."

"Unless yer Sean." Daryl remarked as he tore down the road.

"Yer gonna be okay Daddy alright?"

"Ah...love...ya..."

"Yer gonna be okay Daddy."

"No...ah...won't."

"Yes ya will." Daryl barked.

"Please don't leave me in this world with just Daryl!" Hayden stated with a small smile her eyes not being able to leave the three bullet wounds in her father. One in each of his upper arms and a third in his chest. Blood trickled from them and sweat was covering his body.

"Everythin' is gonna be okay." Hayden stated more to herself then to her father.

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	20. He Said Put Tha Gun Down

Hayden paced outside of her father's cell tears falling lightly from her eyes as she clutched the sides of her body. _Dixons don't cry. _Her father's voice rang through her head making her wipe her tears away. Carl approached and stood nervously near Hayden.

"It's going to be okay." Carl offered half-heartedly knowing that things could never be okay.

"No it won't." Hayden stated and as Carl stepped closer to her she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder shudders going through her body. "Ah'm sorry." She whispered.

"Its okay." Carl murmured into her auburn hair.

"Hayden, he's conscious now." Maggie called from the cell. Hurrying past her, Hayden sat down swiftly in a chair beside her dad. Merle was lying on the bottom bunk his shirt removed but draped over him with bandages covering each of his upper arms and his chest.

"Hey Daddy." She smiled sadly after hurriedly wiping the tears from her face.

"How...do ah...look darlin'?"

"Like shit."

"Then ah've...looked betta."

"Ya scared tha fuck outta me!"

"Ah know...'n ah'm sorry."

"Yeah ya betta be!"

"Ah..didn't find...any speed." That got a small laugh from Hayden.

"Good but ah'm still mad."

"Ya on...tha rag?" Hayden laughed loudly then and held her stomach.

"Ya got tha clap?"

"Maybe." He grinned weakly at her and she smirked. "Heard that...Woodbury's coming here."

"Yeah Rick 'n Daryl're comin' up with a plan right now."

* * *

Hayden was packing, shoving her three pairs of jeans, two pairs of cutoffs and her extra pair of combat boots into her old Marines duffle bag. Lastly she pulled the picture of her family off the wall and stuck it on top. Her father had already been carried into the back of Herschel's truck which was covered so he would be safe.

Leaving the cell rather unceremoniously Hayden walked out with Carl.

"We're goin' out into the woods like pussies and they have to risk their lives for us!" Carl growled and threw his things into the back of the car quickly followed by Hayden's things.

"Ah am no more happy about this then yew!" Hayden barked.

Rick came around and went to talk to his son but he walked away. When Daryl went to tell Hayden to be safe she followed after her friend and entered the waiting truck.

As they drove off into the woods Hayden felt anger seeping into her. She was going to go hide in the woods and the others were going to stay to risk their lives for the six people in the truck.

* * *

Hayden was sitting on top of the cab of the truck with Carl watching the fight through the trees when they heard the sound of someone running and crashing in the woods.

"I'll go around and get them from behind." Hayden whispered and leapt off of the truck and into the grass disappearing around a bend pulling out her own silenced pistol that matched Carl's.

A boy their age ran through the woods a gun in his hands and Hayden went around the back and raised her gun at the same time Carl did."Whoa, don't shoot!"

"Drop the gun." Carl ordered.

"Please don't shoot."

"He said drop the gun." Hayden snarled making the boy jump. He slowly attempted to hand the gun to Carl but the teen felt anxious.

"He said drop it not hand it over!" Hayden barked. But the boy kept trying to hand the gun over and Hayden and Carl shot him in the head simultaneously. The boy staggered for half a second then fell the sound echoing along with Herschel, Axel and Beth's stunned gasps.

* * *

The red truck came up and reentered the now finally won over prison. There had been no words spoken from anyone and Merle had merely nodded at Hayden and told her that she had done what needed to be done.

Hayden emerged with Carl laughing as he tripped on the way out. Herschel watched the two from behind. They had each just _murdered_ someone and now they were just going to go around laughing?

Rick hugged Carl, relieved that things hadn't gone badly. "Hayden and I did our jobs out there just like you guys. We took out one of Woodbury's soldiers. We want to go with you guys."

Rick, Michonne and Daryl had decided that they were going to go chase down the Governor which resulted in the two teenagers stating that they wanted to go.

"That 'soldier' was a scared boy, Hayden." Herschel stated angrily.

"He drew on us!" Carl insisted.

As Michonne, Rick and Daryl got ready to leave, Hayden noticed that Rick was talking to Carl. And then Daryl was leading her away to discuss what had happened with Merle.

"Fine he was surrenderin'. But we can't take that chance anymore."

"Hayden ya just murdered someone and yew don't even care." Daryl was astonished. Sure he knew that Hayden was always a tad cold but this? He had seen her laughing with Carl when they had come back?

"What makes yew think that he was the first one ah've killed? Sean killed more than me, yeah thats right yer precious lil' angel killed someone!" Hayden sneered and turned on her heel, walking away.

* * *

"What. Tha. Fuck." Hayden was standing beside Carl staring at the bus as it made its way up the path of the prison. "Ya've gotta be fuckin' kiddin' me with this one."

Old and young people emerged from the bus and as Daryl looked for his niece's face over the now crowd of people he saw her glaring at him and if looks could kill he would have been dead then and there.

**Phew! Finally I am all caught up with season 3. Alright so I will keep updating despite the fact that Season 4 isn't starting until October. Sadly. **

**Anyways thanks for reading, please review because the more reviews I get the happier I am and the happier I am the sooner I update. Thanks **


	21. Don't Like the New People

**A/N Sorry about the wait, and for the fact that this one is so short. Thanks for reading, please review, favorite or follow!**

**_One Day Later..._**

The prison group had been up for hours and they still hadn't even heard a sound from the cell block where they were keeping the former Woodbury residents. Carol was planning on calmly waking everyone up and telling them it was time to wake up and for breakfast but as she went to open the door to Cell Block B, Hayden sprinted in front of her. Waltzing down the block Hayden suddenly opened her mouth as Carol entered and began to scream.

"Walkers! Get tha fuck up! Ah'm bit!" She shouted followed by another shrill scream. All of the former Woodbury residents got up screaming which made Hayden clutch her stomach and fall to the ground laughing.

Noah watched the pretty girl where she laid on the concrete floor laughing to the point of which she was crying. Big fat tears rolled down her cheeks as she rolled around on the floor. She was pretty that was for sure. She hadn't been happy to see him or any of the other Woodbury residents in her home and she had made that blatantly obvious. His mother, Karen was already complaining about how the small incident could have given Noah an asthma attack. And couldn't they be let out the cells yet? They weren't prisoners!

At that the girl stood up the expression of glee gone entirely. "Yer lucky that this door won't let me in there with y'all er ah'd beat the mutherfuckin' shit outta yew!"

"Try your best!" Karen found herself saying and the girl stalked away. When Carol walked over to them and began to unlock the doors, Karen spoke up. "What's her problem?"

"Well I assume you all know Merle Dixon?" They all nodded confused. "That's his daughter, Hayden."

* * *

Hayden and Carl were making their rooms more _livable _when Carol led in the children of Woodbury. "Carl, Hayden, these are the kids from Woodbury your age. I want you to show them around."

"Ah want ya ta go leave us tha fuck alone." Hayden snarled and turned her back, continuing to move the card table into Merle's cell. They had wanted it to be comfortable for him since he had been hurt. Despite the fact that he could still not move either arm or stand up for long, Merle was still scaring the shit out of the former Woodbury residents.

"Hayden." Carol's voice was stern making the young girl pause for a moment.

"No."

"Hayden."

"Ah said no!" She shouted.

"Carl talk some sense into her!" And so after ten minutes of the two teenagers yelling at her, Carol walked away leaving the three teenagers standing in front of Merle's cell.

"Kin ah help y'all?" Hayden growled. The five teenagers stared at each other for a second making Hayden scoff and Carl shake his head. The two turned around and began to place folding chairs in the cell. The kids from Woodbury had a good twenty pounds on each of the prison kids and they were still thin.

"So what are you guys doing?" A pale girl with wavy chestnut hair asked Carl smiling sweetly at him. Hayden felt the pit of her stomach tighten and she stepped forward.

"None of yer business ya lil' bitch now git outta here." She snarled and the girl shrunk back frightened. Noah stared at the girl he had considered pretty and now sort of pushed it away. Watching the girl get mad wasn't very attractive.

"Hey you can't talk to her like that!" The other teenager a boy named Matt cried.

"Watch me!" Sneered Hayden and she turned around but felt a hand on her shoulder.

"I said that you can't talk to her-" The boy continued but she turned around and punched him in the face.

"'N ah said 'Watch me'." She barked walking up close to him. Suddenly Carol and Beth came running up followed by Rick who grabbed Hayden by the arms and pulled her away.

"What the hell Hayden?" He demanded. She shrugged and smirked at him.

"Don't like new people." She stated plainly.

"Well learn to like them." He threatened and walked away. Beth led the teens away the one Hayden had punched clutching his bleeding nose.

"What a dick." Carl commented and Hayden nodded.

"What a bitch." And with that as if the altercation had never occurred the two moved furniture that Rick had brought back from Woodbury.

They went to Carl's next and he got two folding chairs and a navy blue comforter. Then Hayden who received two folding chairs and a black comforter and a blue blanket with holes in it. She didn't understand why the blanket had clearly been bought with neat uniform holes in the fabric but she took it anyway.


	22. This Is A Dicktatorship

**First of all thank you to GeminiCross, your reviews made my day. Also thanks to everyone who has reviewed, favorited and followed my story every time I see a new one it makes my day. Thanks and here's chapter 22!**

Hayden was going through the items in her fathers motorcycle bags when she came across the blue do rag. Getting up slowly she carried it as though it was a priceless gem over to her father.

He was sitting down, leaning his head against the wall of the prison. Silently Hayden sat down beside him and mimicked his posture.

"Hey baby." Merle drawled, his eyes still closed.

"Hi Daddy, ah want ya ta see somethin' that ah sorta fergot 'bout." She gently raised the do rag and placed it in his lap. Raising his head, Merle glanced over at his daughter before he opened it. It was his hand. It was clear that was decaying by the way that the skin had turned a sickly yellow and was beginning to peel.

"Uncle Daryl kept it from when they went ta 'Lanta." She explained breaking his stare from the thing that had once been a part of him. Smiling slightly at him Hayden stood up and moved to walk away but her father stuck his knife out in front of her.

"Why'd ya show this ta me?" He asked his eyes staring into hers.

"Ah figgered that iffen it was me, ah'd wanna see it," She murmured.

"Ya don't wanna spend any time with me anymore?" Merle taunted and she sat down quickly.

"Figgered yew were gonna sleep or rest or whateva tha fuck ya've been doin'."

"Me sleep?" Merle asked with a slight laugh. "Ah heard about yer wakin' up tha pussy residents."

Hayden grinned as her father placed the do rag beside him and turned his approving head to face her. "Did ya hear 'bout how ah decked the kid lata?"

"Oh yeah, Rick had the pleasure of speakin' ta me 'bout it. Didn't seem ta notice that his own kid was just as involved." Merle barked.

"Yeah well Rick needs ta stop bein' tha leader. Too stressed out. 'S messin' with his brain." Hayden stated leaning her head up against the wall. The hot Georgia sun beat down on them without mercy and sweat beaded on each of their foreheads making Hayden unconsciously wipe her forehead.

"Speakin' of that lil' Grimes boy, ya seem ta get along with 'im." Merle stated, noticing the slight blush that crept up her daughters cheeks.

"Ya well he's mah age 'n he's mah friend."

"Heard ya had more than a friend in Beth's boyfriend." Merle teased.

"She's a bitch, she broke up with 'im after he saved 'er life. Then he died fer 'er." Hayden spat.

Carl went outside to look for Hayden to tell her that one of the kids from Woodbury had insulted Merle when he saw her talking to Merle. He smiled unconsciously when he saw the familiar pair of combat boots, really short shredded jean shorts and a black shirt that said 'AC DC' on it with the sides cut off revealing her equally black bra. She was laughing at something her father said and Carl swallowed, taking note of the way her wavy auburn hair moved and how her brown eyes sparkled. But she was thin, too thin and then she turned her head and saw him staring at her. She murmured something to her dad and they talked for another few minutes before she got up grinning and walked over to Carl.

"Hey." She greeted and pulled him out of her father's view.

"Hey Hayden," Carl breathed glancing nervously back at the cell block.

"What?" Hayden asked peering around him to see what he was looking at.

"That kid, the one you punched yesterday said that Merle was a racist hillbilly who should've been killed by the governor. I was gonna punch him but Rick pulled me away." Carl blurted and she stared at him for a moment before she set her shoulders back and flung open the door to Cell Block B.

With every purposeful step she was closer to that scum until she fell upon him chatting with the girl who had tried to flirt with Carl.

"Oh hi, Carl right? How-" The girl began twirling her hair around her finger but Hayden punched her companion in the face making him fall backwards in his chair. "Hey! Stop that! Your a bitch!" The girl screamed as Hayden repeatedly kicked the boy.

The boy, Noah, who was also there grabbed Hayden and tried to pull her away. She sighed and tucked her head down before slamming it up, blood instantly gushing from his nose. Glenn who happened to be walking by instantly ran up and seized Hayden, pulling her backwards. She squirmed in his arms and thrashed around but he merely shouted for Rick.

Carl saw his father coming and didn't know what to do so he ran over to Glenn. Before he could do anything, Hayden had been handed to Rick and had been handcuffed. "Walk." Rick barked forcing her forward.

"Bye bitch, thanks for the compliment!" She called over her shoulder and Rick pushed her forward.

"Go."

She walked back to the cell block but Rick unhandcuffed her and shoved her into her cell, pulling out the keys and locking her in.

"Oh come on Officer Friendly! This is just cold!" She yelled after him before starting to laugh uncontrollably. Tears ran down the edges of her eyes for a few minutes before she wiped them away and stood up. Carl came by for a brief moment to apologize before Rick grabbed him and pulled him away.

And then there was Merle. He was pissed and began to attack Rick, only being pushed off by the combined forces of Glenn, Axel, Daryl and Tyresse. And then he was locked in his cell as well to 'cool off'.

"Ah think this is a DICKtatorship! Led by Rick the Dick himself! This is totalitarianism! Ah am not in Nazi Germany!" Hayden announced, stunning the group by the young girl's use of the word totalitarianism. She could tell when they gave her unbelieving looks. "Ah went ta school too ya know!"

After a while Hayden resorted to throwing things at people as they passed. She was so _easily_ bored. When Carol passed, Hayden threw a small rock that had fallen off the wall at her, striking her in the side and falling to the ground. Hayden received a glare but that was it. When Glenn passed, he was on the business end of a baseball.

Whenever anyone got too close, she would jab at them through the bars with her baseball bat. Like Beth when she came to give Hayden her food got a jab to the stomach which sent her backwards.

**Review please!**


	23. Why Would He?

**A/N Sorry about the wait! Reviews tend to make me write faster!**

"You don't want that backwoods girl, I mean she isn't even pretty." The Woodbury girl, Madison said walking slowly towards Carl who had no idea what to do. He couldn't hit her and he had no idea what was going on. He had just gone in the cell block to tell Hayden that Maggie was looking for her when he had been corner by her.

"Hayden's gorgeous." He managed to say through his confusion.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Well can she kiss this good?" And then the girl had been all over Carl. He had no idea what to do or what was happening so he just stood there. His blood was pounding so loudly he didn't even hear anyone come in.

"Jesus, git a room, no one wants ta see _that_." Came the all too familiar drawl and it gave Carl the power to pull away.

"Wow Carl, you're a really good kisser." Madison crooned just loud enough for Hayden to hear. Carl was stunned but Hayden didn't even look like she had heard but she to have.

"Hayden c'mon its time to go!" Maggie called and Hayden jumped up, grabbing her ax and making sure she had her shotgun on her back and her buck knife on her belt she walked away without even looking back once.

Unlike the girl from Woodbury, Madison, after Hayden took a shower, there was still dried blood, dirt and plain old grime on her face and all over her body. Madison somehow managed to get her hair to stay flat on her head an put it up in braids and buns while Hayden's was either down and frizzy or in a braid or pony tail. Though Madison was skinny, Hayden was starved and her collar bones looked like they would just pop out of her skin.

Madison's teeth were straight and perfect but Hayden's had never had an ounce of work done on them leaving them crooked.

Madison had obviously filled out early on but Hayden kept herself lean and muscular, her physic more tomboyish.

Hayden sat down in the truck as they drove to a small store not too far away. _No wonder Carl had kissed that girl she's so much prettier than me_, Hayden thought as she gazed out over the fields.

But the question Hayden kept coming back to was: did she even care? It wasn't as if she and Carl were more than best friends, but she had thought they had told each other how they felt and that was that. Guess he couldn't wait.

So when they pulled up, Hayden jumped out before Glenn, Daryl and Maggie did. With the Governor on the loose Daryl had had to come as well.

When a walker came close to her she ended it's undead life with a swift upward motion stunning everyone in the truck. The look on her face was of pure hatred as if she was imagining it was someone she hated.

Daryl and Hayden remained by the truck waiting for Glenn and Maggie to get everything and they kept the path clean. That was until Glenn said there was one more basket of supplies and if she could go get they would be out faster.

Just as her hand pressed down on the still cold handle of the basket, Hayden heard a guns safety being removed. Looking up she saw through a mirror a masked man standing behind her with a gun aimed at her head directly behind her. Taking a deep breath Hayden opened her mouth.

"Ya want this?" She asked trying to keep down any movements on her part. When she got no response Hayden knew she no other chose but to try to move before he pulled the trigger. He just wanted to kill her. Saying a short prayer to whoever was out there, Hayden leapt up and flung herself out of the way at the same time the man pulled the trigger. There was pain suddenly everywhere, blinding her as she fell to the ground.

She had to withhold a shriek in fear it would bring even more walkers to then so she but down on her palm as blood blossomed from her side. The man grabbed the supplies and calmly walked out the front door and Hayden heard a fight outside followed by someone knocking the man out and Daryl running inside.

"Help...m-me." Hayden managed before everything went black.

* * *

When she awoke her entire body felt like it was being squeezed. Slowly she opened her eyes but it hurt like hell.

She figured she would see Merle or Daryl in the seat next to the bed she was in but they weren't. Everything seemed to bright and monotone. Maybe she was in heaven. No there was a special place in Hell for her so she couldn't be above Earth. Maybe this eternal pain was her punishment for-

"Hayden?" It was Maggie who spoke her name softly and the girl slightly raised her head. She couldn't be in Hell because Maggie was here and Maggie wasn't going to Hell.

"Maggie? Where is e'ryone?" Hayden was shocked by how raspy her voice was and began to raise her hand to her throat but it was restricted by .

"I'll go get Merle and Daryl. Don't move." As much as Hayden felt obligated to move because of the order she didn't since she had no idea what had happened.

A moment later Merle and Daryl appeared at the door each looking pissed mixed with an emotion Hayden had never seen before.

"Daddy? What happened?" At the sound of her voice Merle began to shake his head and pace around the room and Daryl hung his head.

"Hayden, tha man that shot ya...we uh tied 'im up 'n brought 'im here. When we saw him full on we saw who it was." Daryl explained running a hand over his face.

"It was Sean." Merle snarled out the name and Hayden found herself frozen. Her _brother_ had tried to kill her? Hadn't he seen it was her?

"M-m-m-my brutha?" Hayden managed to ask hoping they meant some other Sean but all she got back were solemn nods. "What why?"

Hayden's breath was coming in fast and she was shaking her head no. It couldn't have been her brother Daryl said- And then all she saw was black.

**How was it? Leave me a review!**


	24. Ya Done Suckin' Face With Grimes

**YunaDarknell- First of all thanks for reviewing and you'll have to read the chapter to see the first part of your question. And believe me I've got something special planned for Madison. **

**Sara Belle Swan Is the name- Thanks for the review I hope this was soon enough for you to by go through withdrawl :)**

Hayden pulled herself up, her body aching in protest but she had to go see her brother. Wincing, she made it to the door to the cell before she began to feel faint. Gritting her teeth she continued on her head aching with every stop. Herschel had said she had a concussion from hitting the ground along with the bullet nicking her appendix.

It was easy to figure out which of the cells her brother was in, it was the only cell with the door closed. Staggering over to it Hayden stared into the grey room. Her brown eyes saw something handcuffed to a bunk and then they were met with crystal blue orbs.

"Sean?"

"GIT OUT! GIT OUT OF MAH HEAD! _YER_ NOT REAL SO GIT OUTTA MAH HEAD!" He bellowed holding his hands to his head and closing his eyes. Hayden stumbled backwards in surprise.

"Sean! Stop it right tha fuck now! Ah'm real ya asshole!" Hayden yelled back before quieting her voice. "Sean, just hear me out okay?"

"YA'VE SAID THAT BAFORE BUT YA AIN'T REAL! AH LOST YA 'N DARYL AT THA FARM! YER PROLLY DEAD 'N AH'M GOIN CRAZY!"

"Sean stop it right now! Ah'm real okay?" She stuck her hand through the bars of the door and Sean stared at it warily for a moment before getting up and going as far as he could to grab her hand.

As soon as their hands touched Hayden stared at her brother as his eyes began to tear up. "Hayden?" It came out as more of a whimper and she nodded.

"Ah'm here Sean, ah'm here."

"Oh mah god ah shot ya! God ah hurt ya!" Sean withdrew his hand as if she had burned it and began to hit himself with it.

"SEAN TOBIAS DIXON STOP IT! Are ya five years ol'? Ya've gotta be 'round eighteen bah now so start actin' it! It wasn't er fault ya thought ah wasn't real. So stop punishin' yerself fer somethin' ya didn't mean ta do!" Hayden barked just as Rick and Daryl entered the block.

"Hayden!" Daryl yelled upset that was both up and talking to her brother.

"He thought ah wasn't real Daryl." Hayden tried but Daryl had already began to usher her back to bed. "That's why 'e shot me, he thought ah was a part of 'is imagination."

* * *

Much to Herschel's disappointment , Hayden was just as bad of a patient as the older members of her family.

He told her she should rest but when he went outside he saw her sitting on a bench with her brother talking. Sean had felt so guilty that now he hardly even left his sister's side and swore he would do anything she wanted. She had smiled at that and told him she fully intended to.

* * *

Sean had lugged his duffle bag outside and had set it between him and his sister. In his bag was an iPod and an in car charger. There were notes about how he thought he was going insane and in sharpie on the back it said:

_**To: Hayden **_

_**From: Sean**_

_**Thought you'd like the music lil' sis. **_

Hayden stared at it before she began to smile. "Ya went home?"

"Yeah, tha traila wasn't that bad, geek-wise ah mean. Tha town had been pillaged."

"Did ya go ta tha Adkins' traila?"

"Naw, they left a note fer us. Sayin' they were headin' ta tha cabin. They'd be safe there John wrote."

"They'll be fine, with Na'lie's trainin' 'n all in tha army."

"Ya just want Max ta be okay. Ya had tha _biggest_ crush on him. Too bad he's like what _fifteen_ years older than ya."

"Did not!" Hayden cried her cheeks betraying her as her cheeks reddened.

Sean laughed, the sound filling the courtyard.

Carl looked up from where he was sitting to see Hayden throw her head back in laughter before wincing and holding her side slightly.

"So what's up with ya 'n that Grimes kid?" Sean asked after a comfortable silence enveloped them.

"What?" Hayden glared at her brother as if daring him to say more.

He raised his eyebrows as if to say 'challenge accepted' and opened his mouth to reply when there was a small girlish clearing of a throat.

Always the charmer, Sean turned to see Madison standing there fluttering her eyelashes in way she must have thought was pretty. But to Hayden it looked like she was trying to get rid of something in her eyes. Probably all the makeup she wore that made her entire face look fake.

"Ya done suckin' face with Grimes?" Hayden practically growled at the sight of the girl and hardly even managed to spit it out. From where Carl was standing he winced. The only time she ever called him 'Grimes' was when she was beyond pissed at him.

"_He_ kissed _me_ and I was just wondering if your brother needed help adjusting to life here." Hayden stood up her eyes flashing dangerously.

"Oh that'd be great." Sean replied easily and left Hayden standing behind glaring at him. Hayden was going to kill him, that was until he turned around and winked at her.

Hayden let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and unclenched her aching fists.

* * *

Sean had had to listen to the girls incessant chatter until finally they were a part of a block that no one was in and she began to kiss him. Roughly he shoved her off and she stumbled backwards, falling against a wall.

"Stay tha fuck away from me ya filthy little whore." He sneered but she merely smiled as if he had just told her she was the prettiest thing he had ever seen.

"That's what Carl said but I got him to my advantage. Just one kiss, _please_." She latched herself to him and he pulled her to him, turning around so that he was pressing her up against the wall. "You like it rough?" She purred.

"Yer a poxy lil' bitch ya know that don't ya? But ya don't know how _fragile_ life is. How simple it would be for me to snap yer ugly lil' mug right now. How easy mah sista could stab ya in yer sleep. Let a geek in tha same room as ya while yer showerin'. So ya'd go down the way ya are, a naked lil' bitch who can't wait to pin someone 'gainst a wall. Ya kin keep playin' yer lil' games with those two boys ya got wrapped round yer fat lil' finga but ya leave us 'n that Grimes boy alone. Ya hear me?" When she didn't respond her wrapped his fingers around her neck and raised her slightly off the ground.

"Okay." She whimpered and Sean released her watchins as she ran from him tears running down her face.

* * *

Hayden had heard someone coming, running and crying towards the courtyard so she stuck her foot out and sure enough, Madison came running out. Snot was coming rather unattractively out of her nose and tears had drenched her shirt. When she made contact with Hayden's foot though she went flying. She was already running and the momentum carried her straight into the concrete. Though she suffered only from skinned knees the girl wouldn't stop sobbing.

"Bitch." Hayden muttered before strutting away, back over to the bench she had been occupying.

**As always, review, favorite, and follow! And congrats if you got the Adkins reference from my other story!**


	25. Hey Triumph

**lunasky99- Thanks for your review, I'm glad you like my story. Your kind words made my day when I read them. And yes Carl better get his act together. **

**x XRoweenaJAugustineX x- Thanks for your review, I went back and fixed the first chapter. Hope it makes more sense now.**

**A special thanks to HermioneandMarcus for favoriting and following this story along with myself. Thank you for your review I appreciate it.**

**And by the way, the reason that Hayden is more playful and acts more like a kid around her brother is because he brings out the good in most people, well those that he isn't trying to kill by choking them. **

**As always, review, favorite, and follow! Sean looks like Jake Abel just so you know. And Sean's middle name is Tobias, so his name is Sean Tobias Dixon or as Hayden likes to call him: S.T.D.**

Sean was patrolling between the gates as some of the men began to work on forming a new gate. At the moment the bus had been dragged over with spikes like back in Kings County the streets had been. It kept walkers out but it needed to get a more permanent replacement. Sean had just stuck a pipe through what had once been a woman's eye when Hayden approached him.

"Hey _Triumph_." Hayden frowned at the usage of her middle name.

"Did ya havta us mah middle name?"

"Ya said mine tha otha day." Hayden smirked and looked out at the walkers, stabbing one with her own lead pipe.

"Yer right 'bout that _S.T.D._" Sean snarled, dropping his pipe and lunging at her. Hayden laughed slightly but turned and sprinted away back up the path with her brother hot on her heels.

"Ah'm gonna kill ya!" Sean yelled teasingly as his sister swerved and ran back down the path. He caught the Grimes boy watching longingly after Hayden and paused slightly, knowing he would catch his sister if he really tried. Stopping right in front of Carl, Sean stared at the younger boy. "Ya kissed tha slut?"

"What? No _she_ kissed _me_! Madison that is." Sean nodded and looked back the field where Hayden was. She was stalking up the path now her eyes narrowed into slits.

"Sean." It came out more of a hiss and she was moving her fingers around beside her.

"Is it somebody's time of the month?" Sean teased and Hayden continued to stalk her way up the path.

"Shit." Sean took off sprinting towards Carol, Hayden a foot behind him. "CAROL 'ELP!"

Hayden tackled him, sending him flying into the grass with her lying on top of him. "Asshole."

* * *

It had only been three days since Sean had 'talked' to Carl and Hayden had only been on speaking terms with him for the past hour and a half.

"Did ya go ta Lucy 'n-" Hayden asked softly as she played with the pipe in her hands.

"Yeah." Sean hung his head and watched his little sister as she took the news. Her face screwed up and she scrambled to her feet. Looking up at the bright sun she screamed.

"Ya son of a bitch! 'E was just a kid ya asshole!" She shrieked but as everyone looked over Sean clamped his hand over her mouth. Hayden struggled for a moment before she calmed down. Shoving him off her, Hayden stepped forward and saw everyone's eyes on her. Flipping the group off she stalked down to the newly completed gate, her knuckles turning white as she held onto the pipe as tight as she could.

Walking in between the two fences she stabbed the first walker she laid her eyes on, watching the body fall to the ground. She repeated the process until her arms ached and she dropped the pipe, it falling to the ground as she turned on her heels and walked right back up the path.

* * *

It was cold now, Woodbury's calendar said it was January. Hayden had continued to be pissed and it worried the other Dixons.

As Hayden approached the cell block after watch, Carol took the oppurtunity of her tired state to ask the question.

"Hayden, I was wondering if you'd-"

"No."

"Teach the kids about knives and walkers." Carol continued as if she hadn't been interrupted. "I'll give you a pack of cigarettes."

"When do ah start?" Hayden smirked.

When Hayden walked in the room her keen eyes quickly noted Carl standing just inside the door.

"She make you come here too?" He muttered as she stood a few feet away from him.

"Pack 'a cigs."

"Oh. She said she was gonna tell everyone I still suck my thumb."

"More like dick." Hayden muttered under her breath before looking straight ahead. Carol was leading the group of kids in, the three older kids there as well, Hayden mercilessly noted as she saw the state of Madison's knees through a pair of holey jeans. How impractical.

"Kids, this is Hayden. She's gonna show you what you can do with knives if you practice with them." Hayden had stood in the corner chewing her thumbnail and watching the scene warily as if expecting a walker to emerge from a stack of books. "Can you all say hello to Hayden?"

"Hello Miss Hayden!" They chorused and Hayden turned to Carl with wide eyes. She mouthed 'help me' but he scoffed.

"Children." She stood far away from them eyeing them suspiciously. "Boys, girls, _Madison_."

"Knives can protect you. Hayden would you show us?" Rolling her eyes Hayden pulled her knife out of its leg holster and in a split second threw it so it became embedded in a book that had 'Practical Ways To Gain Probation' on the front of it.

"Thank you Hayden. Could you tell the kids how you learned that?" Carol asked in a soothing voice making Hayden crinkle her brow in disgust.

"Well, e'rybody thought mah family was a group a' dumbass inbred white trash 'till tha apocalypse. Unlike y'all when ah wanted ta have a nice ol' steak ah had to go get it mahself. Out in tha big ass scary woods. Been practicin' since was three. 'S kinda a big deal." Carl had to stifle a laugh as he watched the kids, mainly the boys, stare in awe at the pretty girl in front of them. This was the Hayden Carl had seen at the farm, the show off. Madison huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting.

"That was awesome!" A little boy with short black hair cried out unable to keep it in any longer and Carl saw a moment of heartbreak on Hayden's face before she righted herself, face stoic.

"Ah know. Ah'm pretty fuckin' awesome."

"LANGUAGE!" Carol yelled clasping her hands over the child closest to her's ears.

"Sorry, _ma_." Rolling her eyes, Hayden walked forward, ripping the knife out of the book and putting it back in its holster.

"Kids, half of you are going to learn about knives with Hayden and the rest will learn about guns with Carl. Split up now." Carl smirked as most of the girls hurried over to his side and all the boys besides Madison's goons stayed on Hayden's.

After the class was over Carl looked for Hayden across the heads of the kids. The little boy with short curly black hair was talking to her and she was smirking.

"Ya go see Carol now ya hear me?"

"Bye Hayden!"

"See ya Char-_Dean_." She seemed to catch herself as she stared after the boy.

"Hayden!" Carl called weaving his way past kids the pack of cigarettes in his hand. "Carol wanted me to give these to you."

"Thanks," She stuck them in her back pocket and picked up her knife.

"Hayden look I didn't kiss Madison she kissed me and I-I really l-like you. I would never do anything to hurt you. I'm so sorry." Hayden smirked and pulled his sheriff's hat down over his face.

"Well mah birthday is a week from now so ya betta prove it." She laughed softly and walked away.


	26. Best Day Of Tha Year

**HermioneandMarcus- Thanks for your review I hope this was soon enough of an update! **

**xLuvStruckIdiot- Thanks for saying this is your favorite story I hope this chapter is good and came soon enough for you! **

**Sara Belle Swan Is the name- Thanks for your review and I hope that you love this chapter too! **

**YunaDarknell- I know how you feel, I can't wait to write that part but I'm trying to write it into the story while keeping the characters in well character. **

**lunasky99- I felt the same way haha as I wrote the scene I could just envision the interest and confusion on their faces. Thanks for the review, I hope you like this chapter. **

**On another note, if I did an AU story for both this story and my other story, You Haven't Got the Guts, who would read it? Let me know if I should or not. **

* * *

Hayden grimaced as her brother threw up his guts into a small grey bucket for the third time that day. Crinkling her nose she helped him back into the bottom bunk.

"Kin ya get me some wata?" He croaked as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

"Pussy." She teased before going to get him what he asked for. Most residents of the prison had the flu or colds as fly season neared and Hayden was glad she didn't have it. Grabbing a glass of water she walked back to her brother, placed it in his hand and walked over to her father.

"Always told ya 'e was a pussy. Lookit 'im gettin' a cold like one." Merle shook his head and sighed. "Ah get a son 'n a daughter, who woulda guessed ah would like tha daughta betta?"

"Yeah, who knew?" Hayden asked scowling. She was so sick of people acting like because she was a girl she couldn't do anything.

"Ya know, when ah first saw ya, ah wanted to throw ya in tha riva."

"Why?"

"Ya was a baby, ah didn't like Sean. No one really knew 'bout ya."

"Throw me in tha riva?"

"First way ta dispose of ya that ah thought of."

"Wouldn't tha Adkins 'ave seen ya?"

"Quit bringin' them up, ya just liked Max."

"Did not!" She shrieked, turning around and walking away from her chuckling father. As she walked away Madison and the two guys that constantly followed her around entered the cell block.

"Is someone having a little fight with Daddy?" Madison crooned, sticking out her bottom lip.

"At least mah daddy isn't lyin' in a ditch dead 'cause 'e picked a loser like tha pussy 'e is. Ah mean _was_." Hayden barked before pushing through the boys to get outside. The one Hayden had punched, Matt, stumbled backwards almost crashing to the ground which made Hayden smirk. Behind her she heard loud sobs coming from somewhere and she rolled her eyes, scoffing at how fragile she was.

The cold air hit her like a wall but she kept walking, a certain bench seemed to have her name written on it. Sinking down into the bench, Hayden reminised on times when she would be standing staring out at the exercise yard. Times where there were other degenerates around her at all time, guards she knew the names of and their families, and when there were no walkers.

_Hayden looked down at the bright jumpsuit she was wearing and sighed. Oh the fun she would inflict right here, right here in the exercise yard. Her long auburn hair spread across her shoulders which she squared back the petite young woman strutted across to where she saw a huge girl with muscles the size of Hayden's head. _

_"Mutt." Hayden called walking over to her. The hulking girl looked up and over at Hayden a grin plastered on her face. _

_"Dixon! What're ya doin' back 'ere?" Hayden smirked before answering. _

_"Beat a kid ta shit. Broke 'is colla' bone ah guess. Dunno, made a plea got 'way wif half a year." Hayden replied turning around to look at the yard. "Holden told me tha' ah would get out early wif good 'havior so yer gonna havta do most of it this time." Paige 'Mutt' Abernathy nodded slightly gesturing with her massive head to a small girl with dirty blonde hair. If not for the fact that she was in a jumpsuit Hayden would have guessed that she was some innocent girl who got all A's in school. Even from where Hayden was standing she could see that the girl had manicured fingers. _

_"Tha fuck is that?" Hayden ground out a sour look crossing her face. _

_"Kira Bandfeld. Killed fer inheritance. Orphan 'sides 'we grandparents. She switched their medicines, they ODed. Walks 'round like she owns the place. I already threatened to knock out 'er teeth but she told her lawyer. Guards need someone else to do it." Nodding Hayden walked forward to one of the guards she recognized. _

_"Dixon." The man acknowledged when she stood not too far from him. _

_"Underwood. How're tha wife 'n kids?" _

_"Mary's got a new job, secretary. Kids 're in seventh 'n tenth grade." When she said nothing he continued. "Bandfeld. Pack of Marlboros." _

_She nodded and strutted over to the girl. "Yer sittin' in mah spot." _

_The girl looked up at the voice in surprise before turning away from her. _

_"Ya a goddamn mute er sumthin'? Ya listen when ah talk ta ya!" Hayden kicked the girl in the side hard and Kira wobbled slightly but remained up. _

_"I don't have to listen to a dumb inbred redneck." She spat on Hayden's jumpsuit and Hayden merely smirked. _

_"Willin' ta bet yer pretty lil' face?" Hayden barked kicking her again this time harder. Kira fell into the dirt looking up at Hayden with wide eyes. _

_"GUARDS! GUARDS!" But they were all looking conveniently away or fiddling with their uniforms. _

_"Nobody likes a tattletale Bandfeld. Yer gonna pay." Hayden launched herself on the girl kicking and punching. Kira got a few small punches in at first until Hayden got tired of punching her and walked away. _

* * *

When Hayden awoke the next day she felt energized and much better than since she had been shot. Today was her birthday and her favorite day of the year. January 19th.

Climbing out of bed Hayden quickly dressed in a black hoodie, jeans, and combat boots before going to get breakfast.

"Well don't you look chipper today Hayden." Herschel commented when she sat down.

"Taday is tha best day of tha year Herschel." She replied as she ate the rice that had been given to her with honey in it. "It outta be e'ryone's fav'ite day of tha year."

"Just because it's your birthday today doesn't mean its everyone's favorite day of the year." Madison sneered from two tables over.

"Good thing that ain't why ah don't love this day a' tha year. It's 'cause a' what happened on January 19th, 1861."

"What would that be?" Karen asked as she took a bite of her breakfast.

"How could ya not know? Y'all are bigga idjits than ah thought! 's tha day Georgia seceded from tha Union." Hayden stated with a triumphant grin. It was so quiet as everyone tried to figure out if she was joking or not that you could hear the wind from outside. "Don't y'all lookit me like that!"

"You're kidding me right?" Sasha asked stepping forward angrily.

"No." Hayden narrowed her eyes narrowing. "No need ta be so selfish either, we seceded for reasons otha than slavery!"

Sasha scoffed, turned on her heels and stormed down the cell block. Until Hayden could no longer see Sasha, she stood up glaring in her direction.

* * *

Hayden was taking walkers out with a lead pipe when Carl joined her. "Hayden."

"Carl."

"Happy birthday."

"Thanks, ya get me a present?" She asked turning to face him with a grin on her face. Carl nodded and gestured to the cell block with his head before heading up the path. Curious Hayden followed after him, she had been expecting him to give her a piece of candy or something. Not something that he would have to go get.

Carl led Hayden to his cell before rummaging around under the cot. Hayden shuffled from foot to foot when he finally showed her a small book. Raising her eyebrow at him Hayden sat down in the chair he had and opened it.

It was a small fifty page photo album. On the first page there was a scrap of a poster that had 'AC/DC' on it, her favorite band. Flipping the page there was someone's picture of the ocean, and on the next a sand castle that someone had put together. Then an empty pack of Marlboros, a postcard from the Santa Monica Pier and New York City.

It was the nicest gift anyone had ever given her.

When she looked up Carl was staring at the ground nervously. Hayden sighed and stood up, pressing her lips to his.


	27. Sociopath Are Good For Something

**Thanks to UmiNight Angel Neko for favoriting and following both me and this story and The Wind Whispers To Me for following this story.**

**xLuvStruckIdiot- Thanks so much for your review, I hope I got this out soon enough for you!**

**YunaDarknell- Your review honestly made me laugh out loud, I hope this chapter was soon enough for you!**

**HermioneandMarcus- Thanks for your review, I'm glad you like my story and I hope this was soon enough for you!**

**As always, please review, favorite, and follow! And the question of if I should write an AU combination story of both ****_The Delinquents_**** and ****_You Haven't Got the Guts _****where there are no zombies, still stands so let me know. And sorry this is so short but I wanted to get this out there and thought it was a good place to end it. **

* * *

Carl immediately tensed, his first thoughts were: _Why are her lips so warm? Are they supposed to feel like that? So perfect? _Instinctively his arms snaked around her waist as hers went up to his neck. He began to kiss her back, feverishly when someone cleared their throat loudly outside the cell door. Hayden released him, pulling away far enough that she could see a blushing Beth standing outside with the little boy with black hair.

"What?" Hayden barked before she saw the kid, her cold demenor melting. "Oh hey Dean."

"Hayden!" Ignoring Carl's arm still around her hips the kid ran up to her and hugged her. Hayden visibly tensed at the contact but eased her way into the hug, wrapping her arms around him.

"What's up?" She asked the seven year old warily.

"Miss Beth said she was comin' to get Carl so I asked if she could take me to you 'cause I'm _bored_." He rambled and the girl grinned.

"Wanna see somethin' cool?" Ever the show off, Hayden marched out of the room the kid following on her heels.

"What do you want?" Carl snapped to Beth who was still blushing as if she'd caught the pair with their pants around their ankles.

"Your dad's looking for you." Carl sighed, he knew the conversation about whether or not he was a sociopath would be coming up eventually.

* * *

When Carl went outside, Rick was sitting at one of the benches. "Carl, sit down." He called calmy, never moving his eyes from the field. "How are-"

"What do you want?" He asked coolly turning to look at his father.

"What makes you think-"

"You don't talk to _me_ unless _you_ want something."

"I don't like this path you're going down Carl." Rick stated looking at his son for the first time. "You're distancing yourself from others, you talk out of turn, you're emotionless-"

"But Hayden-" Carl began but Rick continued.

"HAYDEN DIXON IS BAD COMPANY! SHE HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT A BAD INFLUENCE SINCE WE FOUND HER! YOU DON'T MEAN ANYTHING TO HER! YOU'RE JUST ANOTHER THING TO CORRUPT AND ONCE SHE HAS SHE'LL BE DONE WITH YOU AND MOVE ON! LOOK AROUND YOU CARL!" Rick bellowed.

"THAT IS NOT TRUE!"

"I talked to Daryl. He said that the state once had her tested. She's a sociopath! They manipulate others, she was bored so she used you Carl! Look at what is obvious in front of you! You've began craving her attention haven't you? I watched you when she was mad at you, you were depressed! She is just toying with your emotions!"

"She isn't a sociopath!"

"Carl, she's got all the signs. Tell me if I'm wrong on any of these points: She can be charming, good at flattering others, we all know she's been to juvie before, doesn't care about other's safety or emotions proved that by screaming in the other cell block, she lies, steals and fights. She's angry, she's arrogant, and doesn't show remorse! She's addicted to cigarettes too. Carl that's all of them! Tell me which ones she doesn't have!" Rick yelled. Carl was silent he had nothing to say. Everything his father had said about those symptoms were true and he could remember his father telling him stories about the sociopaths that he was around at work. Wordlessly he stood, walking away from his father and into the cell block. Hayden, the girl he had fallen for hard was a sociopath.

* * *

Once Hayden had finished demonstrating all of the _amazing_ and _cool_ things she could, according to Dean, she dropped him off with Carol. She was looking for Carl when she came across Sean. The older sibling asked her if she wanted to play poker and the girl agreed, walking over to his cell. The pair were in the middle of Texas hold 'em when she heard yells from outside. Most of the words she could make out made her boil over in anger. Daryl, Hayden, sociopath, arrogant, manipulate, bad company, corrupt and move on. Abruptly she stood up, signaling the game was over and walked out of the cell.

She was going to go outside when Carl came in. "Hey Carl!"

But he brushed past her, going right into his cell leaving Hayden behind. Closing her eyes, Hayden sighed before turning on her heel and stalking up to where she knew her uncle would be, her hands clenching and unclenching.

Walking up the stairs slowly, Hayden locked eyes with her uncle who merely glanced at her before going back to whatever it was he was doing. "Hayden."

"Tellin' people ah'm a sociopath now are ya?" Hayden asked calmly, leaning on the wall.

"They're gon find out eventually. 's not like ah told 'em that when they first met ya."

"Yeah, 'n tha fact that ah do care about mah family doesn't make a difference now does it?"

"'Fraid not. 'Sides tha docta didn't think it did."

"Tha 'doc' was a twenty somethin' gettin' paid ta diagnose me as one. 'E didn't like me anyhow."

"Still a doc."

"Why'd ya tell 'im?" Hayden asked casually as she looked at the ends of her hair.

"Rick needed confirmation. 'E'd figgered it out awhile ago." Hayden merely nodded and chewed the inside of her cheek.

"Ya tell 'im 'bout tha 'otha stuff'? 'Cause iffen ya did.." She trailed off when Daryl shook his head.

"Just tha sociopathy, not tha 'other stuff', ya think Merle would eva fergive me iffen ah told anyone _that_?" Hayden grinned and shook her head.


	28. Must Be A Sociopath Thing

**Guest: Your enthusiasm for me to update made me laugh, I hope this chapter came out soon enough for you!**

**xLuvStruckIdiot: Thanks for your review, I took it to heart and didn't make Carl's 'tantrum' as bad as I was planning on making it so thank you for that!**

**daryl malfoy: First of all I love your pen name! Thanks for your review, I do like a mystery as well. I will put what the other stuff is in eventually and I'm glad that you love my story so far!**

**Yuna Reina Gasai: It was a plot turner even for me, I hadn't been planning on writing that last part, it just kinda came out so it surprised me as well!**

**lunasky99: I take it that the fact that you have no idea is a good thing and thanks for your review!**

**Thanks to angelsxlivexforever and XxCherryblossomxX33 for following my story! **

_**And lastly, I think that I will only be putting out a few more updates until Season 4 starts so I don't get too far ahead of the plot and turn this into an AU story.**_

* * *

Hayden groaned as she thrust her legs over the side of her bed, pulling herself out of her bed. She shivered slightly as she left behind her blanket in favor of the cold floor. As she exited her cell she nearly laughed at the thought of what she must look like: a girl covered in dried blood and dirt wearing a pair of men's pajama pants that were much too big and a wife beater.

She was walking silently, padding barefoot on the freezing cold ground. Another roll of loud thunder filled the air, making it seem like everything was vibrating. A few seconds later there was a flash of bright light that lit up the entire cell block through the huge windows. With a small smile on her face, Hayden walked towards the outside door preparing herself to be drenched.

She had always loved storms, every aspect about them reminded her of herself: loud, flashy, destructive and demanding attention.

_Five year old Hayden Dixon wiped her eyes as she sat up, her eyes adjusting to the brief brightness of the room. When another clap of thunder broke the silence of the trailer, a big smile appeared on her face her eyes lighting up in excitement. Sliding out of bed she walked past her snoring brother, opening the door to their room just enough for her to get out so it wouldn't creak loudly. _

_Making her way into the main room, Hayden saw the silhouette of her uncle standing outside on the small porch. He turned at the sound of the screen door opening and shook his head as the little figure stood beside him watching the storm rage around them. Somewhere close to them thunder boomed, the air seeming to vibrate with the sound before there was a brilliant flash of light just above the tree line. Daryl saw the fascination and awe in the tiny girl's face at the sight of the noise and destruction around her. _

_Hayden seemed content to merely stand beside her uncle watching the hard drops of rain to pelt the dirt and grass. As the rain drops mixed with the dirt driveway, big mud puddles formed and Daryl could already see Hayden coming inside covered in the substance. The little girl had quickly realized the fastest way to the small bathroom, Daryl had to give her that. She also knew to clean up the small drops she left behind. _

Opening the door to the cell block, Hayden was content to stand just outside the door where there was still a bit of coverage from the downpour. Freezing cold water fell onto her feet but she didn't mind. Back in the small town of Adrian where she had grown up they had a river in their backyard that she spent a lot of time in even if the water was freezing.

She had always found water fascinating. She had never really known why, maybe it was the fact that it could be a gas, a liquid or a solid. Or maybe it was because like her it could appear many different ways: chaotic storms, calm rivers, a sudden downpour that seemed to come out of nowhere. Another clap of thunder boomed, breaking Hayden's small daydream. Shaking her head ever so slightly she stuck her hand out into the rain, the freezing droplets enough to wake her up.

Gritting her teeth she stepped out into the storm, the rain pelting her tanned skin. She was cold but she continued to walk over to the bench where she sank down, water falling into her eyes blinding her slightly. With a content sigh she allowed the rain to pour over her drenching both her and her clothes.

* * *

Carl hadn't been able to sleep, the loud claps of thunder and the instants of bright light. He envied those who could and was thinking just that when he saw a shape slip through the cell block. He waited a moment before getting up and following whoever it was, his curiosity getting the better of him. He heard them go outside and he stuck his head out.

A flash of lightning revealed a familiar red head sitting down at one of the benches. Just fucking _sitting_ there. Alone. In the middle of the night. In the rain. Growling he closed the door and stalked back to his cell, his mind filled with questions. As he laid back down, he forced himself to sleep. When ten minutes later Hayden was still out there, Carl fell asleep. His last thought before he drifted off was '_Must be a sociopath thing_.'_  
_

* * *

Hayden stayed outside until the storm stopped. By then she was freezing but her mind was blissfully clear. Getting up she walked right back into the cell block, where most people were eating breakfast. When she entered, drenched everyone stopped and stared at her. Hayden's hair was flat on her head and dripping water onto the floor, her pants sagging dangerously low and her shirt skin tight. Carl knew he would've _died_ had she not been wearing a bra.

"Did you get locked out?" Carol asked, breaking the silence.

"No." Hayden replied easily, walking right back into her cell to change. Leaving little wet footprints behind her, Hayden squeezed the water out of her hair before closing the 'door' to her cell. As customary she threw her blanket over it so no one could look in as she changed. Peeling off her clothes she left them in a wet pile on the floor before changing into jeans and a sweatshirt. Yanking the blanket down she exited to go get food.

When she entered the room, Carl was flirting with Madison, her dad was in a discussion with Herschel about God knows what and Daryl was holding the baby. Hayden hated small children and children tended to hate her. Wordlessly she accepted the bowl of rice and honey from Beth and instead of going to sit at one of the tables, she chose to sit with her back against the wall on the floor. She was halfway done with it when the little boy, Charlie, walked up to her. He was still in his pajamas, red footie pajamas with green dinosaurs on them. Hayden couldn't help but stare at him as he sat down beside her and looked up at her with greyish eyes.

"Miz Hayden?"

"Yeah?"

"Will ya show me cool stuff today?" Hayden smirked and nodded noting that Carl was glaring at her from across the room.


	29. He Understood

**xLuvStruckIdiot- My exact thoughts of Carl at the moment but he's hurt because he thought that she would tell him something like that. He'll be coming around soon enough I think. **

**lunasky99- I agree with you, Hayden and Charlie having a bond would be just adorable, the mean little redneck and the little boy so I'm going to try to put it in while keeping the characters in their personalities. **

**HermioneandMarcus- Thank you for your continued support! I'm glad you like it!**

**Yuna Reina Gasai- Carl doesn't hate Hayden, he's just really mad at her because he thought that they were good enough friends that she would tell him something like that. He is really still the same little boy from the start of the apocalypse on the inside, maturing too quickly in all ways but the relationships aspect. He figures that since Hayden hurt him, he should hurt her. **

**reader: You are obviously quite confident with your writing skills, haha. I am one to believe that shorter better chapters are better than longer more boring chapters. But I've taken your advice to heart and will try to make the chapters longer.**

**PaganButterfly- Thank you so much for following my story!**

The next time that Carl saw Hayden she was outside with Charlie, the boy watching in awe as she drove a pipe through a walkers forehead. The older boy had been sent by Carol to go get Charlie since it was time for him to go to his reading lesson. He had put off going out there for as long as he could but when Carol had seen that he still hadn't gotten the seven year old, he had been ushered out as she muttered about how she should've just done it herself.

Hayden was laughing at something the little boy had said, clutching her sides in an attempt to not fall down. When she saw Carl glaring at her she stood back up and looked him square in the eye. "Carol wants Charlie." Was all he said and he turned to walk back up when he heard Hayden say goodbye to the boy and he stopped. Watching, Carl saw Charlie run inside and Hayden didn't move.

"How could you?" It left his mouth before he could stop and he saw her tense.

"How could ah what?" She was testing him, seeing if he had the balls to call her out on it.

"Not fucking tell me!"

"Not fuckin' tell ya what?" At this point her eyes were narrowed into murderous slits and she was clenching and unclenching her hands

"That your a sociopath."

"Ah prefer tha term 'antisocial personality disorder'." She said with a snicker but he glowered at her.

"This is not funny!" He bellowed. "How could you not tell me?"

"WHY DOES IT MATTER?" She shrieked, shoving past him but he latched onto her wrist.

"Because I thought we were best friends! Best friends tell each other this type of stuff!"

"Well ah've neva had a best friend before so ya can't blame me!" She yelled at him attempting to tear her wrist from his grasp.

"Yeah, it shows." He snapped letting go of her arm and throwing it so it moved back in its socket. Disgusted Hayden stalked away, but not after shoving Carl right onto his back in the dirt.

"Maybe ah don't wanna be friends with tha likes a' ya." She snapped angrily over her shoulder before continuing on inside.

"Just answer one question for me." Carl yelled after her. "Did Jimmy know?"

She paused before she turned around. "He figgered it out on 'is own 'n 'e didn't mind that ah didn't tell 'im. _He_ _understood_."

Carl stared at her back for as long as he could before she disappeared inside after slamming the door behind her. For a fleeting moment he wondered why _this_ world seemed so confusing and hard, and wondered what he would be doing if this had never happened. What would _anyone_ be doing?

He was pretty sure he would be sitting in his living room with his neighbor playing video games, drinking Mountain Dew and working on homework. What big tests would he have coming up? He would've had his school semester finals a week or so ago wouldn't he have?

Hayden would probably be doing what she was doing now, trapped in a prison with a group of people, some of whom she liked and others she constantly fought with. Carl knew for a fact that she wouldn't care about school if she was in it, preferring to steal or something.

His mom, Jimmy, Dale, Jim, Jacqui, Shane, Dr. Jenner, Duane, Amy, Sophia, Patricia, T-Dog, Andrea and millions of others would still be alive. But at the same time people like Ed would still be inhabiting the earth, free to do what they wished to those meeker than them.

* * *

Lunch that day was awkward to say the least, Merle and Sean would be going out scavenging with Daryl the next day, the three wanting to look for certain car parts. Since they were familiar with mechanics they were going alone to the nearest traffic snarl so they could collect the parts. Rick wanted to be able to leave whenever since the threat of the governor was still there. So everyone was tense as they always were whenever _anyone_ left for a scavenging trip and that included Merle.

Hayden was showing Charlie something at a corner with Sean laughing with Beth next to them. Daryl was holding baby Judith and Carol was talking to him and Rick. Merle watched it all with a certain disdain but he couldn't help but notice the happiness mixed with angst on his daughter's face as she hung out with the kid. The kid who looked just like _him_. Merle knew that his daughter might be subconsciously associating this black haired little boy with _him_, but no one would ever replace Dean in Hayden's heart. No one no matter how much she hoped it would. Only one thing could bring Dean back from the dead and according to Sean it had.

* * *

"Y'all be safe now." Hayden barked as her entire family left in a grey pick up truck.

"When ain't we darlin'?" Merle teased, ruffling her hair before getting back in. Sean nodded grimly at her and Daryl muttered a 'bye'. When they left Hayden watched until they were out of sight and the gravel road had righted itself once again. Only then did she turn around and go back inside.

Inside most people were still eating breakfast and as Hayden had hers she watched Madison approach Carl in cautious amusement.

"Hey." The girl tried sitting practically in Carl's lap. "Wanna get outta here?"

"No." Carl tried to shove her off but Madison merely wrapped her arms around his neck. Carl resisted a shiver as her warm breath pressed against his lips again.

"C'mon Carl, you've gotta let _it_ out sometime. How about now?"

"N-no." Carl was trying not to give in with all he had, his gaze meeting Hayden's for only a moment. He wasn't sure but he had thought that maybe, just maybe, before the whole sociopath thing that he might _love_ her. Even though he was pissed he couldn't do that to her, to her or the memory of her. He just wanted everything to be okay again. He felt horrible for not understanding like Jimmy had, horrible for yelling at her and bringing him up. Hayden didn't deserve him, she deserved Jimmy who had _understood_. He hadn't gotten pissed at her for not telling, he had probably not even cared. Carl didn't know why it bothered him so much but it just _did_.

"C'mon Carl, you know you want to."

"No I don't." This was more confident and came out louder.

"Carl." She whined, playing with the collar of his shirt as if she thought it would change his mind. "You know you want to." She glanced down quickly and Carl turned bright red.

"No I don't." He said forcefully, shoving her off so hard she crashed to the floor. For a moment the only sound was Hayden's loud laughter ringing beautifully through the room before Madison burst into loud sobs. This only increased Hayden's laughter and at this point it was coming out in hysterical little fits. Then everyone was giving Carl glares and running to help Madison.

When Madison was getting up, she stumbled and Hayden slipped right out of her chair as big tears of happiness rolled down her face. Madison's little cronies ran up to Carl and began to punch him. At this Hayden got up and latched onto a baseball bat.

"Hey asshole." Just as Matt turned to face her, Hayden swung the bat, connecting it with the back of his knees. He fell to the ground with a loud scream and Noah punched Hayden in the face. Blood poured out of her newly broken nose and she put a hand up to her nose and when she pulled it away she stared at the red substance covering the top of her fingers. The blood was hypnotic and she stared at it before tightening her grip on the bat. She swung again with a crazed look in her eyes, blood now covering the top of her shirt and soaking it.

Noah went down and she whacked him again on the ribs. He curled into the fetal position, shrieking in pain. "HAYDEN!" Rick grabbed her, forcing her to drop the bat onto the ground. She shrieked and struggled but he held tight as Karen ran to her son and everyone stared at Hayden in fear. "Glenn, open an empty cell."

He raced off to do so and it was silent except for the small yells from Hayden. "Let. Me. Go!"

When Glenn returned Rick pulled Hayden into a cell and locked it leaving her in it like a caged animal. "LET ME OUT!"

* * *

"So its unanimous? We have to get rid of her now." Rick seemed disappointed almost as if he had wanted his idea to fail. Carl had been locked in his own cell for attacking his father when he proposed they send the girl away, and Herschel looked heart broken. But for the good of the group it had to be done. Hayden would leave to cool off and get it together for at least a month. It seemed cruel, but so was what she had put the entire group through. Hayden was a dog that had been backed into a corner, dangerous and the best they could do was let her go. She was wild and not meant for civilization.

* * *

She had packed her few things when they let her into her cell and was waiting to be shoved out into the world.

**A/N I didn't mean for it to go this way, how is it? I don't know how I feel about it but I think it was necessary. Let me know!**


	30. Tell 'Em Ah Love 'Em

**HermioneandMarcus- Thank you for your continued support, it means a lot!**

**xLuvStruckIdiot- Thanks for your review, this chapter did get kinda intense to write with the return of the Dixons, I hope I did a good job! And I hope that I got this out fast enough!**

**Some guy- I agree with you, Hayden could be pretty annoying and after locking her in the cell failed this was really all they could do to punish her. Glad you like my story, I hope you like this chapter too!**

**redneckswagger - I'm so happy that you like my story and how I've written it that it made you cry, well not the crying part but I think you know what I mean haha. Your kind words made my day!**

**And thanks to ****_jenni10121_**** for favoriting and following this!**

**WARNING: This chapter includes racism which I for one am heavily against but it fits the character of Merle so I have to include it. Thanks!**

Rick had offered Hayden a car to take, an offer she had refused already knowing what she was going to do once she was outside those gates. She remembered there was a car dealership or something down the road a ways and she would be going there. She didn't want charity from a group that was casting her away. She didn't want charity from _anybody_.

"A month Hayden, then you can come back." Carol said almost pleadingly as she looked briefly back at Rick. The girl needed to go, she'd broken one of Noah's ribs.

"Tell 'em ah love 'em." Hayden managed to say before walking towards the gate. Charlie ran out from where he was with all the other children and latched onto her leg looking up at her with tears in his blue eyes.

"Miz Hayden, don't leave!" He cried clutching her tightly. Hayden swallowed a lump in her throat and looked down at the kid.

"Ah gotta kid, tha group don't want me no more."

"Please let Miz Hayden stay!" Charlie pleaded with Rick, tears running down his small face. Rick shook his head sadly as Carol went to remove the little boy from the delinquent's leg.

"Charlie, don't ya ferget me now." Hayden said, patting him on the head one last time and shouldering her duffel bag. "Bye kid."

She walked forward, giving Axel a small hug and smiling sadly at him. "Rick please, you can't-"

Hayden cut him off by shaking her head and walking to the gate waiting for it to be opened for her. As it was opened and she stepped out she locked her gaze to Rick. "Yer cold as ice, Officer Friendly."

The entire group watched as she stalked away from the prison, killing two walkers who got close to her easily. Her combat boots left small clouds of dust and gravel behind her, her footprints leading off to the main road. The group watched for a few moments after she was gone, the last thing they had seen was her looking back at them with a melancholy look on her face before gritting her teeth and turning back forward. Slowly everyone left, the Woodbury citizens first, Tyresse and Sasha, then Carol with the children, Herschel, Beth and Judith, followed by Axel, Glenn, Maggie and Michonne. Rick patted his son's shoulder and walked back inside leaving his son to stand motionless at the gate.

"Dad?" Rick paused not knowing what to do.

"Yeah Carl?"

"Will she come back?"

"Yes I do believe she will. She's got family here and family's more important than anything these days."

* * *

Hayden grinned to herself as she flew out of the Chevy dealership in her brand new Denali. She would find a new car soon enough but at the moment she was enjoying the luxurious interior. She had been delighted to find that this car would play the little iPod her brother had given her so long ago and now AC/DC's Hell Ain't a Bad Place To Be was blaring. For once she hadn't had to hot wire the car, merely walking in and taking the keys.

* * *

It was late that night when the three remaining Dixons made an appearance. Each were in their own vehicles, a Cadillac Escalade and another truck in addition to the truck they had taken. "Hayden! Ah got ya a present!" Sean yelled as most of the group appeared to crowd around them in both fear and curiosity.

"About that..." Rick began to instantly the entire group was silent. Daryl was overcome with a feeling of deja vu, this was so much like when he had lost Merle but Hayden wasn't gone, maybe she was sick or something. She wasn't _gone_, _she_ couldn't be gone. "Hayden was a threat to group so we let her go."

"WHA' THA FUCK DOES THAT MEAN?" Merle bellowed charging forward and grabbing the front of Rick's shirt. "Where. Is. Mah. Daughter."

"Gone Merle. She needed to cool down. She broke-" Glenn stated but Merle shoved Rick away from him and started on Glenn.

"Don't yew talk ta me like that ya goddamn chink."

"I'm Korean." Glenn managed to say as Merle grabbed him and punched him in the face. Currents of blood appeared on the younger man's face as his nose broke. Sean had attacked Rick, his fear for his sister and his anger for those who had made her leave. Sean was a bit bigger than Rick, much thinner though from his months of being on his own so Tyresse grabbed him and pulled him off.

At this point Merle was sitting on Glenn's chest punching him repeatedly. Maggie had tried to pry him off but he had merely shoved her backwards into the ground. Glenn was panicking, having flashbacks of Woodbury and Carol was shrieking. "Merle stop! You'll kill him!"

Daryl was torn, he didn't know the entire story and this was his new family. Did his new family beat out his old family. But watching Merle viciously attack Glenn was enough. Pulling his old pistol out he proceeded to his brother and hit in the back of the head. Merle fell into the gravel unconscious and the only sounds were of Sean screaming in the background and Maggie helping Glenn up.

"You ready for a reasonable discussion?" Rick asked and Sean blew up yelling at Daryl.

"HOW COULD YA? THAT'S YER FUCKIN' _BROTHER_! THAT'S YER GODDAMN _NIECE_!"

Daryl was silent and when he answered he couldn't look his nephew in the eye. "We gotta figger out what happened."

Sean screamed in anger as he tried to escape Tyresse's arms. Once he realized that escape was impossible he stopped resisting and just stood still glaring at his uncle.

"She broke one of that boy from Woodbury's ribs and messed up the other's right knee. She left us no choice." Rick began, pressing a hand to his already bruising cheek and sighed.

"So ya killed 'er?" Sean snapped.

"No, we told her to leave. She'll be back in a month or so." Sean just shook his head and tore himself from Tyresse's grasp.

"No she won't. _Mah_ baby sister ain't comin' back." He growled, walking forward to his father's prone body.


End file.
